Saudi and American Students’ Motivation and Anxiety in Online Collaborative Learning in The United States

Abstract

This research study aims to explore motivation and anxiety Saudi and American students in online collaborative learning environments through online courses in U.S. universities and how they relate to their academic performance. The study utilized a quantitative approach for data collection through an online survey of 99 Saudi students and 39 American students who were enrolled in U.S. universities. The results showed that there was no significant difference in motivation scores between undergraduate Saudi students and their American counterparts. Nor was a significant difference observed in motivation scores between graduate Saudi students and graduate American students. The data also indicated no significant relationship between motivation scores and anticipated self-reported academic performance among undergraduate Saudi and American students. For graduate students, the correlation between motivation scores and anticipated academic performance was weak and non-significant for both Saudi and American students. Additionally, a significant difference in anxiety scores was found between Saudi and American students in both the undergraduate and graduate groups, with American students exhibiting higher anxiety levels than their Saudi counterparts. However, there was no significant relationship between anxiety scores and anticipated self-reported academic performance for either Saudi or American students across both undergraduate and graduate levels. The results also revealed that the relationship between motivation and anxiety among both Saudi and American students was weak and not statistically significant. Finally, the support structures in online courses survey results showed that both Saudi and American students identified interaction and collaborative learning as the most valuable support structures.

Keywords: motivation, anxiety, academic performance, online collaborative learning, support structures, Saudi students, American students