Learning Japanese in KSA: Motivation and an Outlook

Abstract

Abstract. Research on students’ motivations for learning Japanese taught in Arabic speaking countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, have notbeen developed more than describing the status quo. These studies only have a small contribution to finding methodologies for enhancing thequality of language learning materials.This paper first describes the status quo of Japanese language education in Saudi Arabia. Then it discusses Saudi students’motivations to learn Japanese based on the results of questionnaires, which explore the reasons and motivations of Saudi foreign languagelearners at the College of Languages and Translation in King Saud University.Since motivations can play a key role in the learning process as a whole, it is vital, then, to identify them precisely. This study,therefore, attempts to identify those motivational factors and explore both positive and negative aspects associated with learning Japanese asa foreign language. In light of the results yielded by the study, we could provide the prospective design and development of the languagelearning materials as well as methodologies used in teaching Japanese. This could be done by attending to the weak points shown in thequestionnaire’s results and addressing the learners’ needs in more appropriate way.