The Perceptions of Saudi EFL English-Major Students of the Impact of Video Materials on the Improvement the Listening Skill

Abstract

The study attempted to explore the EFL Saudi university students’ perceptions of the impact of video material on their listening skill. More specifically, the study attempts to answer the following primary question; “To what extent do Saudi EFL students perceive that video integration in listening classrooms is effective on their listening comprehension level?” The sample of the study consisted of 18 male students majoring in English, between 18-20 years old, enrolling in English 044 course for the listening and speaking skills during the first semester of 2014. They were studying at the English Department of College of Languages and Translation at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The instruments of the study included a close-ended questionnaire, and open-end question in which the respondents were asked to write a short paragraph expressing their preferences to either video utilization or audio usage. The SPSS program was used for data analysis of the close-ended questionnaire, namely T-test, Percentages, Means and Standard Deviations were calculated to analyze the study participants’ responses to the questionnaire items. Quantitative analysis was also used to interpret the study participants’ responses to the open-ended question. The results of the study indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the subjects’ perceptions of videos and audios integration in the listening skill in favor of videos utilization. The quantitative analysis revealed that students were more interested in learning to listen with videos rather than learning with audios. Recommendations were stated for researchers, teachers of English, stakeholders, and educational institutions in Saudi Arabia.