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COMPARING STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN SAUDI ARABIAN AND SOUTH KOREA

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

BY

DALAL I. ALMOHSEN

CLINTON, MS

December 2, 2016

Abstract

How does motivation affect student learning? What do we know about motivating students? How is motivation similar for students in two different cultures? How is it different? This research is a review of research conducted in Saudi Arabia and South Korea concerning motivation of students. Results from education international comparisons indicated that South Korea is ranked higher than Saudi Arabia. The results of this study left many questions unanswered but did indicate that Saudi Arabian students are not as persistent on assignments as South Korean students. Conclusions were made that cultural differences between the instructors and the students may affect motivation. Also, family support and goals for their children may also affect student motivation.

Keyword: student’s motivation, classrooms, schools, internal factors, external factors, teachers, English as a second language

Comparing Student Motivation of Saudi Arabian and South Korean Schools

Motivation is a unique phenomenon and is an important topic that has been researched and is still constantly being investigated because it so affects student learning (William & William, 2011). Motivation is not limited by geographical boundaries yet specific motivational factors do have cultural differences (Ormord, 2012). Researchers want to understand those factors that motivate students from different cultures and assess which are effective (Springsteen, 2014). Also, motivation could be a key point to education reform (Jenkins, 2011). In the current technologically competitive world, the quality of a countries current education system can help to make the country a powerhouse on the global map (Gilakjani, Lai-Mei & Sabouri, 2012). It is well understood that motivation plays an important role for learning to occur (Khan, 2011) but how and why type of motivation is not completely understood. The quest to become successful or be seen as competent is one aspect that internally pushes many students to perform well academically or in in extra-curricular activities (Hedge, 2001).

In order to provide the best learning and highest academic performance of students the issue of student motivation has to be considered (Kusurkar, Ten Cate, Vos, Westers, & Croiset, 2013). Good academic performance in schools depends on how well the students and schools are motivated and what actually serves as motivators for the individuals (Delong & Winter, 2002).

When creating a motivating learning environment, educators struggle to determine what are motivators for the group and what are motivators for an individual student and how to best use those motivating factors (Christiana, 2009). Just as the goal of teachers should be to try and understand what motivates learners and to identify the problems that may face so they can solve them (Hedge, 2001; Khan, 2011).

This study explores literature on student motivation to better understand how it affects student learning. Studying motivation is personal for the author, a Saudi Arabian university student studying in the United States. The perception of Saudi students held by some is that they are lazy and have poor attitudes towards education. The Saudi Arabian government spends large amounts of money to improve education with the hopes that it will in turn, improve the country. Yet, when compared to other countries the Saudi educational system is not highly rated (Khan, 2011). At the same time, there are over 200,000 Saudi students studying in the United States (Kottasova, 2016). One could assume that these students are interested and motivated to gain knowledge even if it means studying abroad and away from supportive families. The author wondered if it were true that her fellow citizens were not motivated to learn. Also, were there other reasons that would cause others to label Saudis as unmotivated?

South Korea because is always rated very high in all educational international rankings and is considered an emerging economic for current global activities (Choudaha, 2015; Jeon, 2014). South Korea also spends large amounts on education and there has been much progress made quickly. Interestingly, private expenditure for education is much higher in South Korea than the OCED average (Jeon, 2014). The author wondered why South Korea’s efforts were yielding so much success and results were seen quickly (Jeon, 2014).

This particular research examines the literature to determine if student motivation accounts for the difference in ranking for students in Saudi Arabia and South Korea. There will be a review of definitions of motivation and factors that affect it followed by reviews of motivation research conducted in Saudi Arabia and South Korea. A comparison of the research is included.

Motivation

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines motivation as the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something (Motivation, n. d.). Psychologists define motivation as a force that drives somebody to behave in a particular way, especially when it comes to fulfilling personal goals (Oniyama & Oniyama, 2005). Student motivation is described as the ability to “stimulate academic learners to behave in a desirable way that favors quality outcomes whether it be in academics, sports or other extracurricular activities” (Christiana, 2009, p. 32). One researcher described the term motivation as, “What gets people going, keeps them going, and helps them finish tasks” (Pintrich, 2003, p. 104). Motivational factors affect how and if a student will take ownership for his or her success. When motivated to achieve, a learner is more likely to uses their cognitive abilities to pay attention in order to understand and to elaborate on content to construct meaning (Ormord, 2012). A teacher can stimulate motivation and provide an environment where a student is more likely to succeed, but in the end a student must want to be motivated in order to succeed (Ormord, 2012). In order to provide the best learning and highest academic performance of students the issue of student motivation has to be considered (Kusurkar, Ten Cate, Vos, Westers, & Croiset, 2013).

Regardless of racial, social or economic reasons people are motivated to accomplish goals but those goals may not be to succeed in school or to be successful in all subjects within a school (Tiwari, Tiwari, & Sharma, 2014). The goals may be short term or long term. Still, it is personal motivation in an individual that creates that driving force to increase effort and be persistent to have goals realized (Ormord, 2012, p. 190).

Of great importance when addressing motivating is identifying the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Analysts sometimes refer to intrinsic motivation as self-or personal motivation, which propel one with the need to fulfill personal desires. Students interested in learning English for the enjoyment of knowing it are intrinsically rewarded. A learner striving to achieve good grades because he/she wants to be a scholar is also intrinsic motivated (Christiana, 2009). Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors that are not related to the task. An example is a learner striving to achieve good grades because they want to get a good job. A student wanting to learning English because of future career advancements is extrinsically motivated.

External motivation is highly dependent on the use of assorted rewards. A rewards based approach is only effective for a short time and once the headlined objectives are attained, it is easy for an individual to lose a sense of motivation. Extrinsic motivation is appropriate and useful, but psychologists recommend rewards for short-term goals and internal for longer term goals (Delong & Winter, 2002). Regardless of its effectiveness or the duration of the effectiveness, these variables can be used to motivate students towards a desired performance. From an intrinsic perspective, students need to be encouraged to consider how performing well in a particular discipline, such as mathematics, would make them feel (Delong & Winter, 2002). Teachers working with students need to rely on aspects such as personal fulfillment to help students appreciate a particular subject on a more personal level (Tiwari, Tiwari, & Sharma, 2014). Internal motivation is difficult to achieve yet the benefits are long lasting, very effective and greatly enhances success (Jenkins, 2008). Intrinsic factors involve students’ involvement, curiosity, challenges, and social interaction (Faulkner, 2009). A motivated learner also determines what consequences are rewarding and punishing which in turn affects persistence in effort. Earning a high grade is more satisfying for a learner who is motivated to achieve academic success while earning an F or even a B is more painful (Ormord, 2012).

Basic psychological needs also have a significant effect on people’s motivation and psychological well-being. These needs vary for individuals and in different situations. Everyone has a basic need for arousal to do things to optimum levels. There is also the need or competence and self-worth for people to effectively deal with their environment. The need for autonomy is also another basic psychological need where people want to gain control over want they want to do as well as take charge of their lives. The last psychological need is the need for relatedness where people want to feel connected to other people (Ormord, 2012, p. 152). How these needs are viewed by individuals explains why students perform differently despite the fact they share the same academic environment.

Researchers have identified various ways in which culture affects cognitive factors underlying motivation. One of the cultural and ethnic differences in motivation is self-worth. Western culture encourages thinking and being good at certain things and thus an individual will engage in self-handicapping behaviors to justify poor performance. On the other hand, East Asian cultures work towards correcting existing weaknesses. Another major difference is relatedness. In the Western culture children spend more time socializing with their peers while children from the Asian culture seek teacher’s approval and attention. Asian cultures instill more extrinsic motivation while European cultures encourage more of intrinsic motivation in children. Learners’ cultural and ethnic backgrounds influence their attributions to success and failure as well (Ormord, 2012, pp. 184-189). One can conclude that when teachers are from one culture and students are from a different culture, misunderstandings can occur and result in cultural dissension for both teacher and students that can negatively affect the learning environment.

The content taught in the classroom, the methods used for teaching, the student-teacher relationship and the physical location are some factors that influence the motivational level of the students (Williams & Williams, 2011). Content needs to connect with students and be relevant to their real lives with challenging and creative assignments for students to complete (Khan, 2011). Technology is very much a part of modern education and has been documented as a motivating factor (Horsley & Sikorová, 2014). Other teaching strategies that serve as motivational tools are encouragement and praise, storytelling, and quizzes. Quizzes act as motivational tools in the sense that they encourage students to revise their work to be efficient in the tests (Cifu, 2012).

Some factors such as family support, teacher’s actions and even classmates’ behavior affect students’ participation, attitude and motivation for an education (Williams & Williams, 2011). What stimulates students to perform in a particular way is personal but also reflective of their particular cultures (Springsteen, 2014).

The classroom environment, both relational and physical, plays a great role in shaping the academic performance of any student and is a key factor in motivation (Williams & Williams, 2011). After all, it is within the four walls of the classroom students where students may spend more than seven hours a day and hopefully are trying to achieve academic excellence (Dörnyei, 2007). If the child feels comfortable and accepted they are more likely to be motivated to work than if the environment is a source of discomfort for the same learner (Williams & Williams, 2011). The environment needs to be very captivating for academic excellence to be attained (Dörnyei, 2007). From an emotional point of view, the learning environment does not need to be too competitive. Competition can be healthy for promoting the academic environment, but too much of can be threatening to students do not believe they have a chance to be successful (Ormord, 2012). Intellectual, social, and emotional aspects also contribute to creating a motivating environment that aids in student motivation. Students are more likely to work when teachers create important and challenging task (Williams & Williams, 2011). Creating motivational environments means paying attention to the physical surroundings and making them comfortable and attractive (Dörnyei, 2007). Also when teachers provide feedback that is encouraging, positive, and consistent, students tends to be more serious with his or her studies (Williams & Williams, 2011).

Some schools tend to use strict rules, which can make students feel they can never succeed and can be a demotivating factor for students. Schools are more likely to create a motivating environment when minor mistakes are allowed and enough structure is provided to help students feel safe. Positive emotions tend to play a huge part in enhancing student motivation. (Cifu, 2012) When all these aspects are put into play in creating a habitable classroom environment, students will be motivated.

Studies about Saudi Arabian Students

Moores-Abdool, Yahya and Unzueta (2009) conducted an exploratory study by having English language learners in an all female Saudi Arabian university answer questions to determine if they preferred student centered learning as opposed to their traditional teacher-centered learning. The researchers were also exploring cultural differences between the Saudi Arabian students and their native English-speaking teachers. The authors noted that the Saudi society is often labeled as “closed and conservative” yet they found students were willing to participate in a more western style of student-centered activities (p. 15). Not all students were comfortable in activities that required them to work in groups or be the center of attention. However, most students preferred their traditional ways of learning English but they did recognize there were other ways of learning that could be fun and effective (Moores-Abdool, Yahya, & Unzueta, 2009).

Also, results of the survey indicated students wanted autonomy over their own learning by being able to make decisions about with whom they worked and presented class projects. Generally any time students could be part of the decision-making or their opinions were validated they were motivated to participate. When students were asked their opinions of assignments requiring them to write, edit, or read with others, the students rated them low. The authors reasoned that these were skills students were not comfortable doing or felt unsure of being able to accomplish, therefore, their self confidence or dignity was in danger (Moores-Abdool, Yahya, & Unzueta, 2009).

Khan (2011) studied obstacles to learning and related them to studying English in Saudi Arabian schools. He stated that both Saudi students and their teachers are not properly motivated for achieving educational goals which is also true of other places in the world (p. 245). Khan also states that most Saudi Arabian teachers are not well-prepared for teaching and since pedagogical practices promotes student learning this can be a problem. When students feel successful and can see they are making progress their self-confidence encourages them to try more. Language barriers and language anxiety were identified as crucial barriers for college students learning English. Often Saudi students are not particularly motivated to learn English and resist learning it but a strong teacher-student relationship helps greatly to motivating the learner especially when the teacher chooses good appropriate learning practices (Khan, 2011).

Aslam (2014) also determined that Saudi Arabian female students were not highly motivated to learn English. He contributed this fact to the female students not seeing any benefits in knowing the language. The factors that did positively affect students are supportive family, likable teachers, and a safe school atmosphere (Aslam, 2014).

Springsteen (2014) examined student motivation in a Saudi Arabia private female college where she was an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. She also was very familiar with the description of Saudi student as being lazy, being poor planners, having bad attitudes toward learning, often negligent and overall not motivated to do well in education. Yet, she found that the female students were motivated to learn English even thought they were not using it for foreign travels and there was not many opportunities for jobs requiring them to speak English (Springsteen, 2014).

By direct interactions, case studies, and surveys of Saudi students and their teachers, Springsteen (2014) examined the issue of student motivation. Her study revealed teachers’ lack of understanding of the Saudi culture often caused teachers not to truly understand their students’ actions. For instance, Springsteen concludes laziness is often mistaken for students’ lack of confidence or previous understanding of content. Also, when students did not understand the subject it prevented them from persevering. Teachers tended to label students negatively when they themselves often lacked proper assistance to understand the cultural difference and therefore gave up on trying to understand those differences. Students attributed their lack of success in the classroom to poor teacher-student relationships which also served to prevent them from trying to understand (Springsteen, 2014, p. 51).

Studies about South Korean Students

The perceptions people have of South Korean students are that they must be highly motivated because the country has one of the best education systems in the world. Several studies about these students provide more insight in to the motivation factors affecting them.

Faulkner (2009) taught English in an after school language institute for elementary students paid for by parents to provide extra learning for their children. The results of his questionnaire revealed students’ prior success and self-confidence are linked to their motivation. When students feel they have achieved they are more likely to believe they can do more which in turn means they are persistent in their efforts to learn. For example, families often pay for extra tutorial classes. The students are highly motivated towards learning English because of its association with social status and good jobs. Moreover, South Korean teachers teach with dedication, receive a good salary and have a high social status. The South Korean government is very focused on being at the top of the world both economically and intellectually. The whole country appears to believe education is the way to achieve that goal. Students from South Korea have been reared in an environment that highly values intellectual capabilities. It is through such advantages that a country comes up with solutions that are viable worldwide. The rate of innovations from South Korea is far ahead of Saudi Arabia maybe because the country prioritizes science and math, disciplines that are not performed well in Saudi Arabia. A lesson that can be adopted from South Korea is that student motivation is an aspect that can occur naturally but when need arises; it needs to be forced in place (Faulkner, 2009).

Niederhauser (2012) was an ESL teacher in a South Korean university. When students felt they did not know something that they should know their motivation was negatively affected. He learned that teachers play a vital role in students’ motivation by the learning strategies and approach they look in their classrooms. Teachers could help students to recognize their achievement and develop self-confidence. He described what motivates South Korean students. She states that the lack of difficulty for meeting college requirements, students’ inability of students to choose their majors, and women’s scarcity of career opportunities are large motivated factors. Also students’ prior learning experience is another factor that demotivates them. College students have had approximately six years of English classes. Still they are not able to speak English. Students’ frustration with their lack of skills serves to prevent them from wanting to learn. Finally, the lack of positive role models for English learners and Korean attitudes toward foreign languages and cultures also influence student motivation. The study was a reflection of the South Korean educational system however the findings of the study could be applied to the whole world. The survey done by Niederhauser (2012) was done based on a group of university students. The most significant finding of the survey was that students shied away from learning English as it is not the country’s first language.

Kwon (2016) studied students’ motivation for learning technology in South Korean middle school students. Learning technology to achieve a prestige job was a high motivator but more so for male than female students. The study by Kwon was carried out at a South Korean Middle school and it studied students between the 8th and 9th grades from six middles schools. The analyses used in the study were both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The study was done on both genders so as to establish the differences between the two. At the end of the study, Kwon established that indeed technology affected the motivation of the learners.

Comparisons

The studies included in this research about Saudi Arabia and South Korea had similarities but there are differences that have to be noted. All were university level students except for Kwon’s study about middle school students and Faulkner’s elementary students (Aslam, 2014; Faulkner, 2009, Kwon, 2016; Moores-Abdool, Yahya, Unzueta, 2009; Niederhauser, 2012; Springsteen, 2014). The ages of the students in the studies are different and this is important because the motivation of people changes with their age (Ormord, 2012).

The majority of the reviewed literature was about students studying English except for Kwon’s students studying technology (Aslam, 2014; Faulkner, 2009, Kwon, 2016; Moores-Abdool, Yahya, Unzueta, 2009; Niederhauser, 2012; Springsteen, 2014). The content being studied is significant because motivation for learning is not the same for all topics or content (Williams & Williams, 2011). Technology is widely used in classrooms because of it motivating students to learn with it (Gilakjani, Lai-Mei, & Sabouri, 2012: Kwon, 2016)

Jenkins (2008) noted that many students were extrinsically motivated to study English because they recognized it was important for their lives and society yet they were not developing the internal mechanisms for disciplining themselves to do what has to be done to achieve. If these students could learn to enjoy learning English, thereby changing from being extrinsically motivated to being intrinsically motivated, it is possible this result in the students consistently using the self-discipline needed to reach their goals (Jenkins, 2011).

This appears to be what happened with the South Korean students were required to learn English. Faulkner (2009) indicates that since most South Korean students are attracted to intellectual success they made learning English a personal challenge therefore becoming internal motivated to learn which resulted in increased efforts. This never seems to occur in Saudi Arabia classrooms. Many have suggested that teachers in Saudi Arabia should consider changing their curriculum including teaching strategies to make it more appealing to their students (Khan, 2011; Meherzi, 2011; Williams & Williams, 2011). Jenkins (2008) suggested that the government become focused on finding effective strategies that build and foster intrinsic motivation of Saudi students so they will become more willing to take charge of their own learning so that Saudi Arabia will reach their educational goals. South Korea appears to have made learning a way of life. There is nothing more important for South Korean students than appearing intelligent which explains their hard desire to make huge leaps of academic access.

The Saudi Arabian students were all female university students, some in private universities (Springsteen, 2014) and others in public universities (Moores-Abdool, Yahya, Unzueta, 2009). The South Korean students were both male and female (Faulkner, 2009; Kwon, 2016; Niederhauser, 2012). This is significant because different sexes are motivated by different factors (Niederhauser, 2012; Ormord, 2012). All of the students were studying in their own countries. The teachers were native English speaking teachers (Faulkner, 2009; Niederhauser, 2012; Springsteen, 2014).

The motivation for students studying English is of special interest especially for female Saudi students. There are few opportunities for jobs requiring English yet Springsteen found (2014) found that more than half of the students surveyed indicated they studied English with the hope of finding a good job. Nearly one-third of the country does not speak English therefore English is a common second language. Jenkins (2008) provides emphasizes that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian understands the importance of English being an instrument of change necessary for development. Still teachers perceive their students as not being motivated to a level of working to achieve that goal (Jenkins, 2008).

Springsteen (2104) recognizes that Saudi Arabian students’ the lack of effort does exist but believes teachers should also bare part of the blame because of not more efforts to understand the reasons behind their students’ actions. If teachers believe that their students cannot learn or do not want to learn then their beliefs affect their efforts to help them learn. Students recognize teachers’ positive attitudes and respond accordingly (Springsteen, 2014). Khan (2011) emphasized that teachers’ attitude should be that all students do matter. Niederhauser (2012) also indicated that his South Korean university students were motivated by their teachers’ action and the English-speaking teachers served as role models for the students. This is significant because teachers can not motivate their students but they can create positive learning environments that are more motivating. (Ormord, 2012).

A common factor for students’ motivation and thus their participation and attitude towards education is confidence in being successful (Khan, 2011; Ormord, 2012; Williams & Williams, 2011). A lack of confidence in their prior knowledge and ability to learn may have prevented the Saudi female students from being perceived as motivated to learn (Khan, 2011; Springsteen, 2014). Niederhauser (2012) and Faulkner (2009) had similar results from their South Korean students who were frustrated that their prior studies of English did not appear to be sufficient for them to do well. Students did not want to study something they did not believe they would be successful in learning.

A smaller teacher-student ratio implies more direct contact between students and instructors and the greater possibility of better teacher-student relationships. If an instructor has more time to stay physically close and be aware of the students then students may be more comfortable and there are less classroom management problems. A good teacher-student relationship has been documented to be a very important factor for supporting student motivation (Aslam, 2014; Khan, 2011; Neiderhauser, 2012; Springsteen, 2014). According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) the world’s average classroom size is 21 students. Saudi Arabia has an average of 21 students per classroom in primary and secondary schools. South Korea is a more densely populated country than Saudi Arabia and the statistics reveal an average of 35 students per classroom (OECD, 2011). The difference in teacher-student ratio should indicate that the teacher-student relationships in Saudi Arabia classes should be better than those in South Korea. Before this conclusion could be made, more investigations are needed.

Springsteen (2014) found from her surveys that students were more interested in learning from a teacher that they liked and they liked teachers that were easy on them. She concluded that despite multiple in students’ differences a well-liked teacher is an integral part of motivation in a Saudi classroom. Neiderhauser (2012) stressed that the teacher has to be able share part of themselves and their culture to interest students in learning.

There is a need for more teacher professional development and pre-service teaching training to help prepare teachers to understand how their efforts affect their students’ motivation (Khan, 2011; Williams & Williams, 2011). Moores-Abdool, Yahya, & Unzueta, (2009) felt teachers needed to learn how to use more student centered activities. Springsteen (2014) emphasized the need to learn more about the culture of the country where English-speaking teachers were teaching. Jenkins (2008) called for their being a focus on learning how to intrinsically motivate students.

Conclusion

In the modern world, obtaining an education is essential but it is affected by many factors. Whether someone is motivated to obtain an education is just one of those factors. Motivation is a complicated topic that is affected by connections to other aspects of an individual’s life. This review documents some factors that affect student motivation and provides a closer look at how motivation affects South Korea and Saudi Arabia. However, there are more theories and aspects of motivation that require consideration. Also some of the ones discussed here require a more thorough review before making final decisions. In conclusion, even though motivation has been studied there are more things to learn before one can attribute the academic success of South Korea and the lack of academic success of Saudi Arabia to motivation.

Most of the articles reviewed in this paper were about students learning English in Saudi Arabian and South Korean schools. Trying to understand the motivation for learning of these students for studying English or in other subject is important to the author. With the large number of international students studying in other countries it would be interesting to determine if instructors in other countries have the similar perceptions of their international students and of special interest their perceptions of Saudi students.

Another approach to studying motivation is how the family affects students’ actions. The literature reviewed here indicated there were differences in the parenting styles of the cultures and it is known that culture and families affect motivation. Since this review was mainly about female university students, the author is especially concerned about what serves as motivators for Saudi Arabian elementary and middle school students.

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