King Abdulaziz University
Faculty of Engineering
Technical Language Support Unit
IE 200
Fall 2012
Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Introduction 4
Methodology 4
Findings 5
Discussion 7
Conclusion 8
References 9
Appendix A 10
Appendix B 13
Appendix C 18
Abstract
The aim of this research was to find out the effect of watching television on improving
English proficiency on students of King Abdulaziz University. The survey method was
used for data collection. The participants were students of King Abdulaziz University. A
questionnaire of 14 questions was prepared and distributed to 50 male students in King
Abdulaziz University from different colleges. The findings of the study indicated that
watching television has a huge impact on improving students’ English and it is the most
used method to improve students’ English. In addition to it was found that students of King
Abdulaziz University really suffer in their first year due to English as the medium of
instruction in the university. Relevant recommendations are also made in the light of the
study to improve their English proficiency by watching English TV channels before they
get into the university.
Introduction
The aim of this project is to introduce a great new way to improve students’ English. Saudi
university students really suffer in their first year in the university because they are not
used to study their subjects in English and their English is very poor so they have to either
dropout or try really hard to improve their language.
I personally improved my English by watching American TV shows, movies and cartoons
since I was a child. English is the world’s language. These two reasons are why this topic
is very significant to me. Watching television can assist students to develop confidence in
speaking English (2) and that would really benefit students in their future jobs and in their
presentations. You always have to remember that you are not going to improve your
English overnight; you really have to work hard.
If you watch TV in English everyday, you will learn new vocabulary, new slang and better
listening skills (3). These are important for students so they can understand lectures. To
maximize television’s usefulness for your English you must try to understand the program
you are watching (4) so you should focus while you are watching or you will not gain
anything. I did not find any previous research that proves or disproves this topic and I am
