Psychological Factors Affecting Language-Learning Process in Saudi Arabia: The Effect of Technology-Based Education on High School Students’ Motivation, Anxiety, and Attitude through Flipped Learning

Abstract

In recent years, technology-based tools have been used frequently in learning English as a foreign or second language. In addition, many studies have been conducted to examine the effects of technology-based tools on developing different types of language skills and subskills. Along the same line, this research examined the impacts of flipped learning as a kind of technology-based instruction on Saudi Arabia students’ motivation, anxiety, and attitude. To reach this objective, 58 students at the intermediate level from one high school in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, were selected and assigned to two equal classes (flipped class and traditional class). After that, both classes were pretested with a motivation questionnaire and an anxiety questionnaire. Next, the flipped class received the treatment by applying the flipped instruction and the students of the other class received traditional instruction. After teaching six texts from Active Reading 1, the abovementioned motivation and anxiety questionnaires were readministered to both classes. Additionally, a questionnaire was given to the flipped class to find out how they felt about using flipped instruction for English language development. The results of independent samples and paired samples t-tests revealed that the flipped class outdid the traditional class both on the motivation and anxiety posttests. The outcomes discovered that using flipped instruction increased the students’ motivation and reduced their learning anxiety. Also, the results of the one-sample t-test depicted that the students of the flipped class presented a positive attitude toward the flipped instruction. This research may encourage English as a foreign language instructors to integrate technology into their teaching to improve learning results.