Arab Educational Information Network

This qualitative paper examines the identities of Saudi students who come to study for higher education qualification in the UK. It aims to shed light on how Saudi learners encounter a new culture and engage within the community and how this interaction affects their complex identities for the purpose of learning. The aim of this research is to obtain an understanding of Saudi learner's' sense of self and how culture affects them; thereby enabling the development of strategies to encourage the investment in the target culture through the process of learning the language. This study was conducted by using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with female and male Saudi students. The results highlighted the importance of the target culture for language learning, as well as how the conflict between two cultures has resulted in a rejection of investment in language learning. Nonetheless, it is clear that many other variables affect an individual’s adaptability to the new culture; this aspect is not unique to Saudi learners. (Published Abstract)