Postgraduate Profile

Mr Fakieh Alrabai

PhD Candidate, School of Humanities & Social Sciences

Faculty/Division: Education and Arts.
Phone: + 61 2 4921 7034
Fax: + 61 2 4921 6902
Email: Fakieh.Alrabai@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au
Location: Behavioural Sciences Building, Room W215
Campus: Callaghan Campus, Newcastle

Current Research

PhD Thesis title: “The Use of Motivational Strategies in the Saudi EFL Classroom”
 
The current study is specifically interested in the role that motivation plays in teaching/learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Saudi Arabia, where it is widely acknowledged that EFL learners generally do not possess very high levels of L2 motivation. The few existing Saudi studies on motivation seem only to have been concerned with establishing empirically the low levels of motivation in Saudi EFL learners, without any attempt to explore in greater depth the nature of the problem. Such studies have investigated the types of motivation which may be of most relevance to the Saudi cultural and educational setting but none of which have tried to identify motivational techniques/strategies which can successfully be used to enhance Saudi EFL learners’ motivation and thus ultimately improve learning outcomes for an EFL cohort notorious for its lack of success.
This study aims at targeting a novel dimension of L2 motivation research in Saudi Arabia by going further than defining motivation in the EFL learning process in Saudi Arabia or even identifying and analysing various motives in that context  to seeking an answer for HOW to motivate the Saudi EFL learners.

Qualifications

  • (2007) PhD Candidate (Applied Linguistics), School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
  • (2007) Master of Applied Linguistics with Merit, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
  • (2000) Bachelor of Arts with the Second Honour Degree (English Language & Translation Studies), King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia.

Spoken Languages

  • English
  • Arabic

Employment History

  • (2003-2006) Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Languages, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia.

Research Activities

  • (2008) Research Project Grant - "The Use of Motivational Strategies in the Saudi EFL Classroom" (amount granted approximately $5500) Chief investigator: Dr. Christo Moskovsky.
  • (2007) ALAA (Applied Linguistics Association of Australia) conference (1-3 July 2007), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.

Publications

Moskovsky, C., & Alrabai, F. (2009). Intrinsic Motivation in Saudi Learners of English as a Foreign Language. The Open Applied Linguistics Journal, 2, 1-10.