Selected Research Methods

In order to answer the research questions addressed above, the mixed method based on qualitative and quantitative approaches was used throughout the three sequential methodological phases that the collection data stage was built up on (See Figure 5.1). The methodological approaches were selected depending on the nature of the research questions.

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The first phase consisted of a piloted exploratory structured questionnaire with 20 items followed by interviews. This was to examine learners‘ motivational factors towards learning the English language. The first stage of the first phase, questionnaires with closed questions and a scale from 1 to 6, functioned as a tool to investigate Arab learners‘ motivational factors towards the English language. This provided initial insights into participants‘ thoughts and opinions about the addressed topics and established the basis to investigate further and employ another measurement method in this research, the qualitative method. The quantitative technique employed in this study was represented in a questionnaire that was translated into the Arabic language. Translating the questionnaires into the students‘ mother tongue facilitated the process of self-expression and allowed participants to respond to the questions confidently and smoothly. The questionnaire was developed to investigate the participants‘ considerations of learning the English language, why they are studying it, and why they think it is significant to study it, and whether they like the English language itself or not.

Depending on the statistical results obtained from the questionnaires, the interviews were structured for further investigation since these statistical results are the means to build on the interview questions. Therefore, interviews were conducted to formulate further detailed investigation and to pursue in depth the main themes related to this study. The semi-structured interviews based on the statistical results obtained in the first stage were conducted as a complementary step to the questionnaire. As mentioned above, all participants from the first stage were asked to attend the interview stage to investigate further their perceptions towards the target language (N=21). More specifically, the collected data obtained by applying the quantitative approach was analysed and used beneficially to manage the analyses of the large amount of qualitative data. As a researcher, my role throughout the interviews was minimally obtrusive in order to allow the participants to lead the conversation and express themselves as much as possible. I intervened only when it was needed to pursue in depth the themes I was investigating as a researcher. Moreover, as an interviewer, I allowed my interviewees to take the ideas as far as possible and expand

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them, as long as the content was relevant – the aim of which was to provide richer data in this stage.

The first phase consisted of four sequential stages which were conducted at the beginning of the English course:

1- Teachers were asked to conduct an exam (an entrance exam) in order to determine students‘ English proficiency level.

2- A questionnaire study was conducted in order to understand participants‘ motivational factors and investigate their varied backgrounds. Thereafter, the questionnaire results were compared with exam results in order to understand the relationship between the motivational factors and the English proficiency level of the participants.

3- All participants were asked to attend the interview stage, which was a complementary stage to the questionnaire stage (N=21). Interview results were compared to the entrance exam results in order to understand the relationship between the motivational factors and the English proficiency level of the participants. This was to confirm the results obtained from the stage 1, questionnaire stage.

4- Questionnaire results were compared to the interview results in order to precisely identify participants‘ motivational factors and the influence of these factors on their second language proficiency level. In addition, comparing questionnaire results with interview results and then linking the results of this comparison to the entry-exam results helped in revealing not only the link between students‘ motivational factors and their exam results but the varied backgrounds they belong to and their exam results.

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By the end of Phase One, the first two research questions (1 - What are the factors that motivate L1 Arabic learners of English at a UK university at the start of their university course to learn English as a second language? Is there any difference in Arab students‘ motivation in learning English depending on their varied backgrounds? 2- How are these motivational factors related to the examination results?) were answered.

The second phase was conducted at the end of the English course and was a repetition of the stages from phase one with the same sequential order:

1- Teachers were asked to conduct an exam (a final exam) in order to determine students‘ English proficiency level by the end of their English course.

2- A questionnaire study was conducted in order to understand participants‘

motivational factors. Questionnaire results were compared to exam results at the end of the English course in order to understand the relationship between the motivational factors and the English proficiency level of the participants.

3- Interviews were conducted as a complementary stage to the questionnaire stage. Interviews‘ results were compared to the final exam results in order to understand the relationship between the motivational factors and the English proficiency level of the participants. This was to confirm the results obtained from the stage 1, questionnaire stage.

4- Questionnaire results were compared with the interview results in order to precisely identify participants‘ motivational factors and the influence of these motivational factors on their second language proficiency level.

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By the end of Phase Two, the first two research questions (1 - What are the factors that motivate Arab students at a UK university at the start of their university course to learn English as a second language? Is there any difference in Arab students‘ motivation in learning English depending on their varied backgrounds? 2- How are these motivational factors related to the examination results?) were answered again to confirm the results obtained from Phase One.

The data collected by applying the mixed method during the two phases were analysed. The quantitative data represented by questionnaires were analysed and tables supported by numbers were created in order to display the results statistically. Whereas in the qualitative approach represented by interviews, the content method was applied to analyze the obtained data using: 1. Transcription of the interviewees‘ responses 2. Analyzing data in terms of its connection to the themes and topics addressed in this study.

The third phase was divided into two phases. The results obtained in phase one were compared with results obtained from phase two, which revealed any change in students‘ motivation during their study in the UK. Any motivational change revealed was compared with the final exam results at the end of the English course to unveil its influence over the exam results. (The motivational change cannot be compared to the entrance exam results at the beginning of the course as the potential motivational change cannot occur at the beginning of the course, but might occur during the students‘ study period in the UK).

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5.8 Data Collection