Arab students' beliefs about using English language / Mayson Badar Atomi

English is a language that relishes a prestigious status in many countries and it is clear that English language has become more dominant around the world. This study aims to identify Arab students' beliefs about using English language, to identify the language skills that Arab students find difficult to learn and to understand the environmental factors that hinder the students from using the language in teaching and learning interaction and how they overcome these obstacles. It also aims to examine whether there is a difference between students' beliefs, difficulty in the different language skills, factors that hinder students from using the language in teaching and learning interaction, and their proficiency level in English language. A questionnaire was the main research tool; some of the items have been adapted from "Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI)" (Horwitz, 1987). 60 Arab university students from different areas of study were selected from seven Malaysian universities. Data gathered in the study have been analyzed statistically; standard deviation and one way ANOVA were used to examine significant differences between students' beliefs about language learning and their proficiency level. Qualitative data of the study has been converted into numerical data for analysis purposes. The findings indicate that Arab students' beliefs about using English language are quiet similar regardless of their level of proficiency as they face similar problems and difficulties in using English language. The study has served as a useful reminder that English language proficiency does not affect learners' beliefs about language learning and problems and difficulties faced in learning the English language.