EFL PROGRAM OF THE SECONDARY
SCHOOLS IN QASSIM REGION
(SAUDI ARABIA):
PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS
Saleh Alresheed 2008
Outline








Introduction
Why Qassim Region ?
Statement of the Problem
Research Questions.
The Purpose of the study
Methodology of the research
Literature Review
Anticipated Benefits
Introduction

The Ministry of Education in 1954 outlined the goals
of teaching English in public schools and designed
the curriculum for each level.

English, as a foreign language, is taught in Saudi
public schools at the last level of the primary
schools, the intermediate and the secondary
schools.

The teachers of English are non-native speakers,
most of them national teachers who have
graduated from local universities as well as some
foreign teachers from other Arab countries such as
Egypt and Sudan
Why Qassim Region?

Located at the heart of Saudi Arabia, and almost in
the centre of the Arabian Peninsula.

The researcher’s hometown. ( Teaching for 3 years)

Considered as the most traditional and
conservative Muslim society in Saudi Arabia.
Statement of the problem

The level of students achievement in English at
the secondary schools is low and the general
proficiency of Saudi students is unsatisfactory
.This problem requires analysis to identify the
reasons that causes these unsatisfactory results.

This research aims to identify the
problems of the EFL program
particularly the problems of:
The cultural values that affect the
learning/teaching of the EFL program.

In a society as conservative and closed as that of
Saudi Arabia particularly in Qassim region it was
very difficult for some Saudis to accept the idea
that a language other than Arabic be taught to
Saudi students. (Alfallaj 1998)

People feared that teaching a foreign language
might result in students adopting the culture and
values of that language.( Alabdan 1996)
The teaching methods that the teachers
use

Teachers of English in Saudi Arabia tend to apply some
aspects of methods such as the Audio-lingual Method
(ALM), grammar translation method and the direct method.

Teachers are not encouraged to teach communicative
competence and encourage students to speak in English.

The lack of methods other than traditional methods, which
mainly emphasize teaching grammar, is a problem. Despite
the widespread criticism of the ALM and the grammar
translation method, they are still used for English instruction
in Saudi Arabia. (Alsaadat 1985)
The curriculum design as perceived by the
students and the teachers.

The EFL textbooks contain issues which are
irrelevant to the EFL program goals defined by the
Ministry of Education. For example. You will find in one EFL textbook lots of
dominant subjects relating to the desert life, keeping livestock especially camels and stories of ancient
Arabic heroes, which make the EFL students very weak in using English in modern advanced
technologies, hospitals, traveling situations , airports and the like. (Zafer .2002)

It is not suitable for the Secondary schools level.
Research Questions

What is the content of the textbooks and other
materials of the secondary English programs in
Saudi Arabia?

What methods do teachers use in teaching English
inside the classroom?

How can the curriculum be modernized while at
the same time maintain it’s sensitivity to Saudi
culture?
The purposes of the study

To diagnose the problems that face
learning/teaching English as a foreign language
in the Qassim region.

To identify the causes of these problems of EFL
program in the Qassim region.

To offer some possible solutions for the EFL
program problems in the Qassim region.
Methodology of the research

The research will be qualitative and quantitative.

Twenty randomly-selected classroom observations. in Qassim region.
Ten in a public school and another ten in a private school, each class will be visited 4 times during the study.

semi-structured interviews with teachers and students

questionnaires

The researcher
will draw on previous studies and
researches by Saudi and Western researchers to collect the
data.
Literature Review


Alabdan (1996) stated that the particular nature of the Saudi
society is probably another cause behind the decline or lack of
motivation to learn English in the Saudi public schools.
Zafer (2002) surveyed intermediate and secondary English
teachers, from the Qassim region in Saudi Arabia, about the
teaching methods they used. He concluded that the method
most preferred and used by teachers is the ALM followed by
the grammar translation method. Based on that, a
conclusion may be drawn that the English teaching
methodology in Saudi Arabia is following the more
traditional methods of teaching English and need to
incorporate more modern communicative methods.
Literature Review

Most studies about the EFL program in Saudi Arabia
particularly in Qassim region including: (Abu-ghararh, 1986;
AI·Ahaydib 1986; Al-Amr 1998; Al-Fallaj1998; Al-Hammadin.
1998; Al-AMazroou; 1988) identify these problems in the
teaching/learning EFL by a number of factors. Some of those
factors are: lack of motivation, attitude to English (culture),
huge social distance between the two cultures, lack of
exposure outside the classroom and finally the use of
traditional methods in teaching.
Anticipated benefits

An extensive evaluation study of the EFL program problems
of the secondary schools in Qassim region.

The research is expected to help enhance the methods of
teaching/learning EFL in Qassim region schools and Saudi
Arabia schools in general.
Expected to help the Ministry of Education to achieve the
goals of teaching English as a foreign language.


The researcher will give his recommendations to the Ministry
of Education to develop the curricula to be more relevant for
the Saudi culture.
Thanks for your attention