http://elr.sciedupress.com English Linguistics Research Vol. 9, No. 1; 2020 Published by Sciedu Press 8 ISSN 1927-6028 E-ISSN 1927-6036 A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Study Skills and Learning Strategies Between Saudi and American Students Nasser Alasmari 1 , Zeineb Amri 1 1 Department of English & Translation, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Correspondence: Nasser Alasmari, Department of English & Translation, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: nsalasmari@uj.edu.sa Received: December 20, 2019 Accepted: February 1, 2020 Online Published: February 11, 2020 doi:10.5430/elr.v9n1p8 URL: https://doi.org/10.5430/elr.v9n1p8 Abstract Study skills and learning strategies are essential in organizing and facilitating learning for academic purposes. Meanwhile, differences in the use of these skills among students coming from distinct cultures are usually based on stereotypes and prejudices. This paper examined the study skills and learning strategies of 236 university students coming from two universities in Saudi Arabia and in the USA by means of the Study and Learning Strategies Inventory (LASSI), a follow up interview and a study diary. To investigate differences in study skills and learning strategies’ use among university students, origin, as Saudi or American, was taken as the independent variable in this study. Results revealed that American students employ study skills and learning strategies other than those used by Saudi students when it comes to the cognitive skills. However, as far as the affective skills are concerned, both groups had difficulties. Such a finding suggests the possibility that study skills’ use varies across cultures. The results of this study could be implemented, first, in raising the awareness of students, teachers, policy makers and counselors about the role of culture in study skills and learning strategies’ use and second in offering training and counseling for incoming foreign university students. Keywords: study skills, learning strategies, cross-cultural research, overseas universities 1. Introduction The current information and technology era has resulted in a tremendous increase in knowledge. This new state of affairs has presented new challenges to the educational institution, the formal place that is considered as the setting of learning where students are supposed to become responsible for their own learning and be able to carry on learning once their academic life is over. In fact, the shift in focus from the instructional to the communicative method of learning has made the learner the center of the whole educational process; everything is to, from and about him/her. This focus brought about questions on how these learners’ process information and the different techniques and strategies they use in order to understand, learn or remember the information provided for them. The case is more complicated at the tertiary level which entails hard work, perseverance and adjustments as the students are facing various challenges arising from the complexity and diversity of the different subjects studied during a limited span of time and dealt with in a stressful atmosphere characterized by deadlines, projects and examinations. Consequently, the student should cope with the scientific, psychological and social difficulties set by the nature of studying at the university. One suggested way to overcome these difficulties is to focus on the process of learning and help learners become aware of and develop the necessary learning strategies and study skills they need in order to easily gain and maintain knowledge and eventually pass the exams. Added to this are the concerns of educationalists, academicians and even students and parents who keep wondering on what makes the learning of a certain subject a success. Hard work is one way to achieve better performances. Some authors believed that it is a question of IQ that is related to genetics while others asserted that even though the aforementioned factors are important, the role of the students is much more highlighted in the act of studying. They argued that studying, itself, is a skill that students need to learn and develop in order to make a successful learning experience.