The Impact of Studying in the United States on Saudi Students’ Identities

Abstract

This paper reports on the findings of exploring how studying in the United States may impact international students, specifically Saudi students, and how this may affect their identities. The aim of this study is to analyze different types of identities and how each of the Ph.D. students modifies them depending on some factors. For the purpose of this study, ten Saudi Ph.D. students, who were teaching English in Saudi Arabia, took part in the oral interviews and the open-ended questionnaire, which consist of seven questions. Analysis of the data suggests that some factors such as religion, culture, traditions, and education impact Saudi students’ identities and their children’s, and how they are perceived by native speakers of the host country. The study shows the fact that mixed identity has the greatest impact on the students’ self-perspective, and that all participants want their children to preserve their own religion, culture and traditions. Moreover, the study concludes with implications and recommendations in the field of language and identity.