A STUDY ON HOW NON-MATRICULATED CHINESE AND SAUDI STUDENTS PERCEIVE THEIR LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN AN ESL CONTEXT AT A U.S. UNIVERSITY A dissertation submitted to the Kent State University College of Education, Health, and Human Services in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy By Murat Dagistan August, 2019 © Copyright, 2019 by Murat Dagistan All Rights Reserved A dissertation written by Murat Dagistan B.A., Hacettepe University, 1995 M.A., Hacettepe University, 1998 Ph.D., Kent State University, 2019 Approved by Todd Hawley , Director, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Sarah Rilling , Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Walter Gershon , Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Accepted by Alexa Sandmann , Director, School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies, James Hannon , Dean, College of Education, Health, & Human Services iii MURAT, DAGISTAN., Ph.D., August 2019 School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies A STUDY ON HOW NON-MATRICULATED CHINESE AND SAUDI STUDENTS PERCEIVE THEIR LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN AN ESL CONTEXT AT A U.S. UNIVERSITY (163 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Todd Hawley, Ph.D. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to investigate how non-matriculated Chinese and Saudi students perceive their language learning experiences in an ESL context in a U.S. University. Specifically, it examines how each group perceives differences in language teaching methods and language learning environment between their native communities and the United States during the language learning process. The study also seeks an answer about how those differences influence the nature and pace of their linguistic development of each group. Both Chinese and Saudi speaking students have quite distinctive learner characteristics, and this research will delve into how their experiences and perceptions compare in regards to their English Education. Different types of data sources, such as online survey questions and participant interviews were collected and analyzed in order to get some answers to the research questions of this dissertation. The findings in general showed that both Chinese and Saudi students face several challenges in and around language learning environment. This study also revealed that language teachers and administrators have critical roles while addressing the educational and social needs of these students. To a large extent, their knowledge, actions, and awareness over the cultural identities of these two student groups were the critical factors that determined the overall quality and the pace of language learning experiences. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my dissertation director, Dr. Todd Hawley. I also would like to thank my other committee members Drs. Sarah Rilling and Walter Gershon for their help and support during this journey. I would also like to acknowledge my close friends and colleagues, Loubna Bilali, Jameel Bakhsh, Wendy Huang, Runmei Xing, Xiuli Yue, Tom Stafford, Anthony Schreffler, Rachel Foot, Davut Sababoglu, Oral Erlat, and my brother Nihat Dagistan. Thank you all for your encouragement and advice along the way. Lastly, I would like to thank my family, especially my mom and dad, brothers and sisters, who supported me both personally and academically. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................................viii LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................................ix CHAPTER I. BACKGROUND, RATIONALE AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................... 1 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................... 1 Reasons for Increasing Numbers of International Students ...................................................... 6 Research about International Students’ Experiences in Different Areas ................................ 10 Relevant Researcher Background ........................................................................................... 13 Rationale ................................................................................................................................. 16 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................... 16 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 17 The Significance of the Study ........................................................................................... 17 Assumptions and Limitations of the Study ............................................................................. 17 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 18 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ............................................................................... 19 The Reasons Why International Students Choose to Study in the United States ................... 19 Language Education in Chinese and Arab countries .............................................................. 23 Language Education in China ........................................................................................... 24 Language education in Arab countries ............................................................................. 27 Challenges of Studying Abroad .............................................................................................. 30 Cultural Aspects of Language Learning ................................................................................. 34 Socialization Problems during the Language Learning Experience ....................................... 38 Traditional vs. Constructivist Language Teaching ................................................................. 41 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 45 III. METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN ........................................................................................ 46 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 46 Appropriateness of the Research Design ................................................................................ 46 Research Design...................................................................................................................... 51 Participants and Settings ......................................................................................................... 55 Data Collection ....................................................................................................................... 56 The Survey ........................................................................................................................ 56 Focus Group Interviews with Chinese and Arab students ................................................ 57 Interviews with Language Instructors ............................................................................... 60 v Interviews with Administrators......................................................................................... 61 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 62 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 64 IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ................................................................................... 66 Quantitative Data Analysis ..................................................................................................... 66 Educational Background of Participants ........................................................................... 67 Current Language Learning Experiences of Participants ................................................. 71 The Participants’ Perceptions of Their Language Learning Experience and American Culture............................................................................................................................... 76 Qualitative Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 83 Student Focus Group Interview Analyses......................................................................... 83 The focus group analyses of Saudi students. .............................................................. 84 The focus group analyses of Chinese students. .......................................................... 85 Comparisons of Chinese and Saudi Student Populations through Triangulation ............. 88 Learner differences from administrators’ and instructors’ perspective. ..................... 88 Administrator interpretations. ......................................................................... 89 Instructor interpretations. ................................................................................ 90 Difficulties Chinese and Saudi students have in the target culture. ............................ 90 Challenges for learners from administrators’