The Effect of an Intensive Language Course on Students' Linguistic Performance at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effect of an intensive language course at Majmaah University on improving students' linguistic repertoires. It also explores the perceptions of instructors at Majmaah University on students' performance after the intensive language course. The study also addressed the following questions: 1-To what extent did the intensive language course at Majmaah University improve students' linguistic repertoires? 2-How do instructors at Majmaah University react towards students' linguistic repertoires after the intensive language course? To achieve the set objectives: the study used a mixed-of qualitative and quantitative method. A total of 283 students participated in the study experiments, and eight instructors responded to the interview questions. A paired samples t-test was used to evaluate the students' scores before and after the three-month program. The findings revealed that the students scored significantly higher on the post-test. Qualitative data also showed that improvement was not limited to their linguistic repertoires but also applied to their personal skills.

The Effectiveness of the Intensive English Course on EFL Learners

“…Many researchers have mentioned that the IEC can improve learners' level of English (Nagano, 1995;Austin & Gustafson, 2006). Abahussain and Ahmed (2019) investigated 283 students' achievements in English before and after attending the IEC. They used pre and post-tests to assess English improvement and used a semi-structured interview to ascertain attitudes towards the IEC.…”

“…The second solution is to register new students who want to pursue their BA in English and literature departments in an Intensive English Course (IEC). Therefore, several studies were conducted to investigate the level of English among learners and their perceptions regarding these intensive English courses (Abahussain & Ahmed, 2019;Alseweed & Daif-Allah, 2012;Alghamdi, 2015).…”