Push-Pull Factors Influencing Saudi Women’s Investment in English-Language Learning

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated Saudi women’s decision to invest in learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This exploratory study collected semi-structured interview data from nine Saudi women of varying ages and educational and professional backgrounds in seven Saudi Arabian cities. A thematic analysis of the data revealed a wide array of factors that informed women’s discourse about pursuing English-language studies, culminating in two overarching themes: push factors and pull factors. Factors pushing them to learn EFL included self-development, economics, and transferring and pursuing knowledge. Factors pulling them to study EFL in Saudi Arabia included economics and Islamic (religious) concerns.