Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
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Item Restricted The Influence of Artificial Intelligence on EAP Learners’ Oral Fluency(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alwadaeen, Norah Bakheet; Abbuhl, RebekhaThere is ongoing debate on how AI speaking tools can support the development of oral fluency in second language (L2) instruction. Despite the widespread usage of these tools, such as AI chatbots and Automated Speech Recognition (ASR), questions persist about how well they will work to improve oral fluency, reduce speaking anxiety, and foster learner autonomy. This study investigates how an AI-mediated speaking partner influences English for Academic Purposes (EAP) learners’ oral fluency, speaking anxiety, and autonomy over a short, intensive practice cycle. Five upper-intermediate ESL students at a California community college completed nine EAP Talk chatbot sessions across 3 weeks, framed by pre- and post-intervention IELTS-style monologic speaking tasks. Acoustic analyses of the pre/post tasks in PRAAT targeted three utterance-fluency indices (speaking ratio, repair phenomena, and pause placement). Session-by-session Likert questionnaires captured perceived fluency gains, anxiety, and autonomy, and post-intervention semi-structured interviews explored learners’ experiences with the AI-mediated practice. Oral fluency findings indicated that the speaking ratio increased, whereas pause and repair indices generally shifted in favorable directions. Anxiety, which was scaled so higher scores indicated less anxiety, exhibited clear gains. Autonomy trajectories were positive at the group level. Furthermore, the study highlights both the promise and limitations of AI chatbots for EAP speaking. It emphasizes the value of multi-indicator fluency assessment, explicit autonomy supports, and longer comparative designs in future work.28 0Item Restricted Integrative and Instrumental Motivation Rates of International ESL Students in The UK In Diverse International Language Institutes: A Mixed Methods Study.(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-09) Aljaghwani, Waleed; Siddaway, KathrynThis study investigates the rates of instrumental and integrative motivation among language learners at an international language school in the United Kingdom. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research utilized Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) for quantitative data and included AMTB-inspired qualitative items. The study found that quantitative data showed an equal balance between instrumental and integrative motivations, while qualitative data leaned towards instrumental motivations. Interestingly, demographic variables such as age, nationality, and first language showed little impact on motivation levels. Limitations include the language barrier, as the survey was administered in English, and potential bias in the qualitative items. The findings have implications for educators and policymakers, suggesting the need for a balanced approach to language instruction that caters to both types of motivations. The study serves as a foundation for future research into the complex motivations driving language acquisition in diverse educational settings.35 0