Exploring the role of acculturation in Saudi scholars abroad: An introspectivestudy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of acculturation in assisting Saudi scholars abroad to learn and acquire English and the target culture in some English native-speakers’ countries. It was an introspective study because the instruments asked the informants to recall and respond to the questions of the Acculturation Questionnaire and the in-depth semi-structured interviews. This research used a mixed methods research methodology to collect both quantitative and qualitative data for the present study. Therefore, the study sought to identify the factors that affected Saudi scholars’ acculturation in western universities and the cultural dimensions (cognitive, affective or behavioral) that are instrumental for English language learning abroad. It also sought to recognize the features of the intercultural communication competence that enhance acculturation to the target language abroad with regard to English education. Finally, it sought to identify the role of gender and specialty in influencing acculturation in the sample of the study. Twenty-six participants were involved in the questionnaire study, of whom three cases were purposefully selected to participate in the interviews for the case studies. Results showed that sociocultural challenges, cognitive and affective aspects of acculturation, intercultural communication and culture-behavioral aspects were the most influential factors that affect acculturation. Qualitative results also support these results, under-estimating the role of language skills in acculturation. Recommendations and suggestions for further research were forwarded at the end.