Boredom in the Omani EFL Context: A Study of Grade 12 Students' Experiences and Perceptions

Background: Boredom is a negative academic emotion that can significantly hinder language learning. While international research has explored boredom in various EFL contexts, limited attention has been given to the Omani secondary school setting, particularly among students with weaker English skills and low motivation.
Purpose: This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of boredom among Omani Grade 12 EFL students at the beginning of their second semester of the academic year 2025/2026. It seeks to identify the curriculum-related antecedents of boredom and explore how students perceive its impact on their engagement and learning.
Methodology: A qualitative case study approach was adopted. Participants were 30 male Grade 12 students from the literary section at Hafs bin Rashed School (Grades 10-12) in AL Seeb, Muscat. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework, was used to analyse the data.
Theoretical Framework: The study is grounded in Pekrun's Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions, which explains how students' appraisals of control and value in learning activities influence their emotional experiences, including boredom.
Findings: Analysis reveals that students experience boredom due to several curriculum-related factors: the repetitive nature of textbook activities, perceived irrelevance of themes to their lives, difficulty of language tasks, lack of variety in classroom procedures, and a mismatch between curriculum expectations and their low proficiency levels. These factors map directly onto low control and low value appraisals as theorized by Pekrun.
Conclusion: The study highlights the need for curriculum differentiation and more engaging pedagogical approaches tailored to the needs of less motivated, lower-proficiency learners in Omani secondary schools. The findings also demonstrate the applicability of Control-Value Theory to understanding boredom in the Arab EFL context.

Boredom, EFL learners, Omani students, Grade 12, literary section, curriculum, Control-Value Theory, qualitative case study

1. Al Riyami, T. K. (2021). Omani graduates' English communication skills: employers' perspectives. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives, 17(2), 136-149. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Al-Issa, A. S., & Al-Bulushi, A. H. (2012). English language teaching reform in Sultanate of Oman: The case of theory and practice disparity. Educational research for policy and practice, 11, 141-176. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Ministry of Education, Sultanate of Oman. (2016). Engage With English 12B: Coursebook. Muscat: Ministry of Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Alrasheedi, S. (2020). Investigation of factors influencing speaking performance of Saudi EFL learners. Arab World English Journal, 11. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Khouni, O., Gasim, A., Al Fahdi, S., & Al Naabi, I. (2022). Factors Causing Learners' Anxiety in FL Speaking: The Case of GFP Learners at UTAS, Nizwa, Oman. English Language Teaching, 15(10), 108-117. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Al Shaibani, A. (2023). Challenges in Teaching Pronunciation to Saudi Female Learners at Taif University. Arab World English Journal. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Thakur, V. S. (2020). Phonological Problems of Omani EFL Learners: Pedagogical Perspectives and Implications. Arab World English Journal, 11(1), 29-43. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Alasbali, A., Baharum, H. and Zin, Z. (2023), "Challenges of English academic writing among Saudi higher education students", International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Vol. 13 No. 9, pp. 1989-2004. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Al-Fadda, H. (2012). Difficulties in academic writing: From the perspective of King Saud University postgraduate students. English Language Teaching, 5, 123-130. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Kruk, M., and Zawodniak, J. (2018). Boredom in practical English language classes: insights from interview data. In L. Szymański, J. Zawodniak, A. Łobodziec, & M. Smoluk (Eds.), Interdisciplinary views on the English language, literature and culture (pp. 177-191). Zielona Góra: Uniwersytet Zielonogórski. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Li, C., Dewaele, J. M., and Hu, Y. (2021). Foreign language learning boredom: conceptualization and measurement. Applied Linguistics Review. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Pekrun, R. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18, 315-341. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Eastwood, J. D., Frischen, A., Fenske, M. J., & Smilek, D. (2012). The unengaged mind: defining boredom in terms of attention. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 482-495. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Macklem, G. L. (2015). Boredom in the Classroom: Addressing Student Motivation, Self-Regulation and Engagement in Learning. Springer. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Alrajhi, A. (2024), "The salient antecedents of boredom in formal English language learning", Cogent Education, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 1-17. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Deen, A. (2023). Students' boredom in English language classes: voices from Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, pp. 1-9. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Li, C. (2021). A control-value theory approach to boredom in English classes among university students in China. The Modern Language Journal, 105, 317-334. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Li, C., and Dewaele, J. M. (2020). The predictive effects of trait emotional intelligence and online learning achievement perceptions on foreign language class boredom among Chinese university students. Foreign Languages and Foreign Language Teaching, 5, 33-44. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Goetz, T., Frenzel, A. C., Hall, N. C., Nett, U. E., Pekrun, R., and Lipnevich, A. A. (2014). Types of boredom: an experience sampling approach. Motivation and Emotion, 38, 401-419. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Dewaele, J.-M., & Li, C. (2020). Emotions in second language acquisition: A critical review and research agenda. Foreign Language World, 196, 34-49. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Cui, G., Lan, X., Zhang, X., Hu, Y. and Wang, C. (2020). The association between teacher enthusiasm and students' class-related boredom: a multilevel study. Current Psychology, 41(6), 3678-3686. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Dewaele, J. and Li, C. (2021). Teacher enthusiasm and students' social-behavioral learning engagement: the mediating role of student enjoyment and boredom in Chinese EFL classes. Language Teaching Research, 25(6), 922-945. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Daschmann, E. C., Goetz, T., & Stupinsky, R. H. (2011). Testing the predictors of boredom at school: Development and validation of the precursors to boredom scales. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 421-440. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Kruk, M., Pawlak, M., Sh, M., and Taherian, T., and Yazdanmehr, E. (2022). Potential sources of foreign language learning boredom: a Q methodology study. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 12, 37-58. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Jean, G., and Simard, D. (2011). Grammar teaching and learning in L2: Necessary, but boring. Foreign Language Annals, 44, 467-494. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Farmer, R., & Sundberg, N. D. (1986). Boredom proneness: The development and correlates of a new scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 50, 4-17. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Harris, M. B. (2000). Correlates and characteristics of boredom proneness and boredom. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 576-598. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Graesser, A. C., and D'Mello, S. K. (2012). Emotions during the learning of difficult material. In B. H. Ross (Ed.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation (pp. 183-226). Elsevier Academic Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Teaching and researching motivation. London: Longman. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Al-Busaidi, F. Y. (2019). The Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing Learners of Arabic in the Sultanate of Oman. International Education Studies, 12(8), 72-82. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Creswell, J.W. (2012). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Brinkmann, S. and Kvale, S. (2015). Interviews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, 3rd ed., Sage, London. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Baillie, L. (2015). Promoting and evaluating scientific rigour in qualitative research. Nursing Standard, 29(46), 36-42. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study