The Influence of Personal, Psychological, and Classroom Contextual Factors on Attitudes Toward EMI and Satisfaction with Coursework in EMI

Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Althowaini, Ebtesam M
- Graduate Program:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- October 03, 2023
- Committee Members:
- Mari Haneda, Major Field Member
Amy Crosson, Major Field Member
Ravinder Koul, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Kevin Kinser, Outside Unit & Field Member
Scott Mcdonald, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- English-medium instruction
satisfaction
L2MSS
ideal L2 self
ought-to L2 self
self-efficacy
sense of connectedness
classroom learning environment
gender
school type
mediation
science
attitudes
EMI - Abstract:
- English-medium programs are growing at a rapid rate, and insight into factors that influence attitudes toward English-medium instruction (EMI) and satisfaction with coursework in EMI has been scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative cross-correlational research study was to address this gap by investigating variables that best predict attitudes toward EMI and satisfaction with coursework in EMI. Specifically, the study investigated the relative contribution of predictor variables which consist of personal variables (i.e., gender, Scholastic Achievement Admission Test Score, General Aptitude Test score, parents’ educational level, school type, and college GPA), psychological variables (i.e., English self-efficacy, ideal L2 self, and ought-to L2 self), and classroom contextual variables (i.e., comfort, community, facilitation, and interaction and collaboration) to attitudes toward EMI and satisfaction with coursework. In addition, the study examined the mediating role of classroom contextual factors in the relationship between predictors and criterion measures. Data was collected from students (N = 405) enrolled in a university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Hierarchical regression results showed that comfort, facilitation, interaction and collaboration, English self-efficacy, and ought-to L2 self significantly predicted attitudes toward EMI, and apart from English self-efficacy, predicted satisfaction with coursework in EMI. The results also revealed that classroom contextual factors mediated the relationship between the predictors and the criterion measures. The results are discussed in relation to other studies and the context of Saudi Arabia. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed.