EFL Learners' Attitudes toward Reading in both English and Arabic

The English reading ability of university students is crucial for their academic achievement, regardless of whether they are studying English or any other subject in English. Examining the affective factors that influence this ability is critical for understanding its development. Research has been conducted on the correlation between first language (L1) and English as a second language (ESL/EFL) reading attitudes, but there is limited research on the correlation between L2 and L1. This research seeks to investigate the similarities in reading perspectives between Arabic-speaking international students and English-speaking university students. The study employed surveys and semi-structured interviews to evaluate individuals' viewpoints on bilingual reading. The objective was to assess individuals' attitudes towards reading in two languages. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. The study revealed that students' reading preferences remained consistent across different languages. However, the relationship between second-language reading attitudes and first-language reading attitudes was found to be minimal. The implications of the current study suggest that enhancing reading attitudes in both languages may enhance reading ability. The study utilised subjective data and targeted a specific demographic, limiting its generalizability to more diverse student populations. (c) 2024 EJAL & the Authors. Published by Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics (EJAL). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).