The research reported in this article explores the relationship between Dörnyei's (2005, 2009) Second Language Motivational Self System (L2MSS) and the L2 proficiency level of Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Male and female participants (N = 360) responded to a questionnaire relating to the main components of L2MSS, the ideal L2 self, the ought‐to L2 self, and the L2 learning experience, as well as learners’ intended learning efforts. The participants’ L2 proficiency was then measured with an EFL reading and writing test. Descriptive and inferential analyses of the collected data revealed—as expected—that the components of the L2MSS were a good predictor of the learners’ intended learning efforts. However, the study also established that in this learner population these components were not consistently correlated with L2 achievement. The findings can be treated as evidence that self‐reported motivation does not always have behavioral consequences.

While consensus exists about the critical role of learners’ motivation in second language acquisition, controlled investigations of the effects of teachers’ motivational strategies are limited. The research reported here used a quasi‐experimental design to assess the effects of motivational strategies used by Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers (N= 14) on Saudi EFL learners’ (N= 296) self‐reported learning motivation. The experimental treatment involved class‐time exposure to 10 preselected motivational strategies over an 8‐week period; the control group received traditional teaching methods. Multivariate analyses revealed a significant rise in learner motivation over time exclusively or predominantly among experimental vs. control learners, which held robust even when controlling for pretreatment group differences. These results provide compelling evidence that teachers’ motivational behaviors cause enhanced motivation in second language learners.

Abstract:The paper presents an experimental study designed to measure levels of intrinsic motivation in learners of English as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia. As part of the study, a 27-item structured survey was administered to a randomly selected sample of 55 Saudi learners from public schools and universities. Data collected through the survey were subjected to some basic statistical analyses, such as "mean" and "standard deviation". Based on the results from the analysis, a number of generalizations and conclusions are made in relation to the role of motivation in the attainment of English as a foreign language in the Saudi educational setting. In addition, some recommendations are offered, which may enable Saudi teachers and learners of English as a foreign language to achieve better learning outcomes in an area widely associated by Saudis with lack of success.

This study examines five affective variables: motivation, attitudes, anxiety, self-esteem and autonomy, with the aim of establishing their effect, together and individually, on learners' L2 achievement. Data were collected from Saudi university students learning English as a second/foreign language as part of their degree. Data collection was conducted, via a questionnaire and a language test, in two waves -approximately three months apart (N=274 at Time 1, and N=252 at Time 2). Descriptive and inferential analyses of the data confirmed the importance of affect in relation to L2 acquisition: the five affective variables together accounted for between 85% and 91% of the L2 performance variance in our sample. Individually, each of the five variables was found to make a unique contribution to L2 performance, but among them motivation emerged as by far the strongest predictor of L2 achievement; by comparison the effects of the other four on achievement can be described as marginal. This outcome constitutes compelling evidence of the critical role that motivation plays with respect to L2 acquisition generally and achievement more specifically. The study's findings hold a range of potentially important implications for L2 learning and teaching practices. In light of these findings, EFL teachers are in a strong position to influence the operation of the affective factors by consolidating learners' autonomy and self-esteem, reducing anxiety, promoting positive attitudes and enhancing learners' motivation.

Whereas there has been some research on the role of bottom-up and top-down processing in the learning of a second or foreign language, very little attention has been given to bottom-up and top-down instructional approaches to language teaching. The research reported here used a quasi-experimental design to assess the relative effectiveness of two modes of academic English vocabulary instruction, bottom-up and top-down, to Chinese university students (N = 120). The participants, divided into two groups-bottom-up and top-down-were exposed to 48 hours of explicit vocabulary instruction. Their achievement was measured with two vocabulary tests, Academic Vocabulary Size and Controlled Productive Knowledge, administered at the start (T1) and at the end (T2) of the treatment. Analyses of the test scores reveal that at T2 the bottom-up group slightly outperformed the top-down one on both vocabulary size and controlled productive knowledge. With respect to the former, the bottom-up group's superiority was found to be statistically significant, although with a relatively small effect size (g 2 = .05).doi: 10.1002/tesq.170 B ottom-up and top-down processing are well-established concepts in a wide range of fields, including psychology, cognitive science, pedagogy, and institutional management. They refer to two essentially different ways of processing and/or organising information. Broadly speaking, bottom-up is a form of inductive (or data-driven) processing starting with smaller and/or lower-ranked units and moving upwards through larger and/or higher-ranked units. Top-down is a form of deductive (or schemata-driven) processing working in the opposite TESOL QUARTERLY Vol. 0, No. 0, xxxx 2014