Saleh Alresheed
TESOL PhD student
London University. Birkbeck College
Sponsor: Majmaah University.
Saaaleh1@hotmail.com
07429246146
Exploring the nature of the Saudi English teachers’ beliefs
and attitudes toward EFL and its effect on their teaching
practice.
Abstract
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is emerging as a global player in world politics
and commerce. To sustain its growth and development it needs to be involved in international
dialog at all levels, both state and street. English is the Lingua Franca of the world, and the
Saudi government has focused on increasing the proficiency of English at all levels of
education. To this end English as a Foreign Language (EFL) has been made mandatory at
schools and institutes of higher education. However, the quality of Saudi learners EFL is
abysmal. Even after years of study, most students are unable to communicate in English, and
have only the most basic reading and writing skills. This state of learner incompetence can be
partly attributed to negative teacher attitudes , beliefs and unproductive classroom practices.
This paper examines the reasons behind negative teacher attitudes and their relation to
classroom practices. It was found that almost half the EFL teachers in KSA are biased against
English. These biases have led to demotivated teachers; who are teaching only for economic
security. They use normative language teaching methods, and learners have little
communicative practice in English within or without the classroom. Furthermore, such
methods promote rote learning and learners are dispirited, displaying no motivation to learn,
and focusing only on passing exams. The Saudi EFL education system needs an urgent
overhaul to address the root cause of this learner apathy and incompetence in EFL– the
negative attitudes of Saudi EFL teachers.
Introduction
English is the dominant language of commerce; it is a worldwide,
intercultural, linguistic phenomenon (Graddol, 2006). Technology, especially ICT
(internet communication technology) has further established English as one of the
world’s foremost tool of communication in the contemporary cyber-age scenario.
English in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has a very restricted purpose (Khan,
2011). Yet, its social, commercial and political value cannot be denied.
KSA has a vast population of foreigner expatriates in relation to citizens’
population (Parfitt, 1998). Even though, non-native speakers of English such as
Pakistanis, Indians, Philippines, Indonesians and Bangladeshis, represent the bulk of
the expat population in KSA, the main language of communication amongst locals
and expats is English. Furthermore, English is the medium for higher studies in KSA
– science, medicine, dentistry, engineering and computers etc. In the context of the
economic scenario, the rapid growth and globalization of the Saudi economy has
transformed it into a big international market. Politically, as a member of the world
community, KSA maintains diplomatic relationships with many countries, including
native English speaking populations (America, U.K. etc.) and non-native English
speaking countries (India, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh) as well.
Interactions and collaborations with these countries also require the knowledge of
English (Alshumaimeri, 2001).
Thus, acquisition of English either as a second or foreign language by Saudi
citizens is of great import, in order to further development and participate in global
transactions. However, teaching and learning of EFL (English as a Foreign Language)
in KSA carries a number of challenges intertwined with personal, social, religious,
economic and political factors of the region (Dhaif-Allah, 2005).
A major challenge faced by educationists is EFL teachers’ negative attitude
towards the perceived importance English in an Arabian context, and its effect on
native cultural values. This greatly influences teaching practices and the efficiency of
language acquisition. Williams and Burden (1997) propose that teacher beliefs “affect
everything that they do in the classroom” (p.56–57), influencing classroom strategies
much more strongly than planned curriculum and pedagogies. In recent years, there
has been a shift away from a view of teachers as a people who master a set of general
principles and theories developed by experts, towards a view of teaching as a thinking
activity and teachers as a people who construct their own personal and workable
theories of teaching (Fang, 1996; Borg, 2003). Simultaneous to this conceptualization,
of teaching as a thinking activity, there has been an increase in research into teachers’
beliefs and attitudes towards learning. Borg (2003) found that in most researches, the
term belief is defined as a statement teachers made about their ideas, thought and
knowledge– that are expressed as evaluation about what should be done, should be the
case, and what is preferable. As such, Borg (2001) proposes that beliefs guide
teachers thought and behaviour in the classroom.
Literature Review:
Teacher Beliefs
Even though scholars agree that beliefs are the most valuable psychological
construct to teacher education (Pintrich, 1990), they also accept that they are difficult
to define. For the purpose of this paper ‘Belief’ is defined as– the acceptance of
something as true, or thinking that something could be true (Schwitzgebel, 2011).
Bauch (1984) proposes that a belief system is a type of psychological filter,
which renders a person selective in making discernments in what is attended to,
admitted into and kept out of one’s environs. It embodies a set of preferences to
recognize, feel towards and respond to character involving stimuli and events in a
consistent manner. Therefore, irrespective of the conscious/unconscious or true/false
nature of a belief, it is always acknowledged as true by the person holding that belief,
and is as such “imbued with emotive commitment” (Borg M. , 2001, p. 186). Beliefs
are moulded early in life as a by-product of a person’s schooling and experience
(Johnson, 1994); and as such, teachers’ beliefs about learning and education are well
established by the time they complete training. These established beliefs directly
affect teachers’ perceptions and judgements of instruction and learning interfaces in
the classroom.
Consequently, the designing of lesson plans, pedagogical practices (choice of
normative, communicative or constructive practices) and behaviour in the classroom
are all directly influence by the beliefs systems held by the teacher ( (Borg S. , 2003;
Farrell, 2008). For example, Woods (Woods, 1996) found that a L2 French teacher
was convinced of the superiority of communicative techniques over grammar-based
techniques, because, as a student he spent many years formally learning French
without gaining proficiency; yet, six months in the company of French speakers
developed his ability to do so.
Teachers’ beliefs strongly shape teachers instructional practices, and
subsequently the learning opportunities that learners receive (Borg S. , 2011). Hence,
any negative beliefs held by the teacher will automatically affect teaching and
learning processes. This makes it necessary to address any negativity in teachers’
beliefs. Williams and Burden (1997) assert that teacher beliefs play an important role
in the educational process; and as such, teachers must recognize their own beliefs,
philosophies and attitudes. Crandall (2000) too, proposes that many beliefs are held
unconsciously; and that in order to change them, teachers must first be made aware of
them. This awareness and change in teachers’ beliefs must be wrought at both entry
level, when they receive pre-service training and with continuous input and upgradation after employment.
Borg (2011) asserts that teacher education is more likely to have an impact on
teachers’ practices when it is based on an understanding of the beliefs teachers hold.
This understanding of beliefs is necessary at all levels of teaching– pre-service
teachers, new teachers and older teachers more set in their teaching practices.
However, beliefs are not easy to understand or change. They are complex and based
on many cultural, societal, personal and religious influences; Pajares (1992) proposes
that beliefs are a “messy construct [that] travels in disguise and often under
alias.”(p.2) Therefore, the process of changing or challenging established beliefs
about teaching, or conscious/unconscious biases towards a language and its culture is
not simple.
Research Methodology:
An online questionnaire was circulated amongst 51 Saudi EFL teachers – 36
teachers were from schools in the Qassim and Riyadh region of KSA, and 15 were
from Saudi EFL teachers undergoing further training in UK.
Questionnaire design
The questionnaires in both Arabic and English for the teachers were designed
to be simple, to the point and encourage responses. The full questionnaire in English
is included in Appendix I. It was divided into three sections –
(A) Teacher’s personal data – age, sex and EFL teaching experience.
(B) Teachers attitude towards English (question 2-15) – These questions explore the
nature of beliefs held by teachers their opinions on the usefulness and influence of
English. All questions had multiple choice answers where participants could choose
more.
(C) Teachers beliefs about learning and teaching roles (questions 16-24) – These
questions examined the teachers pedagogical beliefs and classroom practices adopted
for teaching EFL. Again, questions had multiple choice answers and participants were
free to choose more than one category.
Data Collection
The data was collected online from 51 Saudi EFL teachers. 36 teachers were
from schools in the Qassim and Riyadh region of KSA, and 15 were from teachers
training in UK (through government sponsored scholarships/private resources). All
teachers had previous EFL teaching experience in KSA with a mean of 8.04 years in
teaching EFL and an average age of 32.13 years.
Finding:
For Example: figure1
As seen in Fig 1, the majority of teachers were in agreement with the
importance of English – 46.2% strongly agreed and 15.4% agreed. However, a
significant percentage – 30.8% disagreed as to the importance of the language in their
lives. That is, despite teaching English for a living, they do not see it as an important
part of Arabic lifestyle.
Example2:F.gure2.
When further questioned on the impact of English in their students’ lives (Fig
2), the results were predictable – 100% of SD teachers (Disagree with importance of
English) felt that English had no impact on their students’ daily lives. However,
despite assigning high values to communication and business purposes of English,
even teachers who SA (Strongly agree with the importance of English)
had a
lukewarm response; with only 29.2% disagreeing and 8.3% strongly disagreeing with
the statement in Fig 2.
Finding: Summary
This study was conducted with aim of 1) discovering the true nature of Saudi
EFL teachers’ beliefs and attitudes and 2) to examine their effect on teaching and
learning experiences. To this end, a number of research aims were established which
have been listed and answered as follows:
1. Examine the factors that determine teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about English
language teaching. To find out the root cause of the anti-English sentiment–
whether it is religious fanaticism, cultural conservatism or simple indolence on the
part of teachers.
It was found that the teachers in Saudi were equally divided in their attitudes
towards English; many having a positive attitude and an equal percentage being
negatively biased. Those with positive attitudes felt that English was important for the
students to compete not only within the internal Saudi system, but, also to equip them
with competitive life skills at an international level. They were secure in their Arabic
nationality and did not feel threatened by prospects of westernization of their culture
or language.
However, those with negative attitudes felt the only reason to learn English
was to achieve academic excellence. They were highly insecure and defensive of their
ethnicity, and feared the sway of western language over Arab culture.
Religion and culture were the main factors affecting attitudes –teachers highly
influenced by conservative religion and culture have negative attitudes towards
English, while teachers less likely to be influenced by conservative religion and
culture have positive attitude towards to English.
2. To investigate the extent to which Saudi teachers’ beliefs and attitudes influence
their teaching practices. Examine teachers personal views and its effect their
teaching methods and classroom practice
It was found that most teachers with negative attitudes choose their profession
on the basis of economic security. However, surprising few were ready to admit this,
with many asserting that they viewed their profession ‘positively’. Clearly Saudi
teachers do not consciously admit to their biases and victims of self-deception. Any
modification, in the attitudes of these teachers will have to be preceded by an exercise
in self-awareness. Their attitudes have a direct relation to their teaching styles which
are old fashioned and un-innovative. Students are discouraged to actively use English
outside the class. Even within the class teaching is restricted to completion of syllabus
and preparation for exams.
Most of the teachers with positive attitudes chose their profession because
they liked English/teaching. However, they did not deny the importance of economic
security. This group is both self-assured and self-aware, not denying basic truths –
English language does affect native culture, it is the best way to guarantee a job– but
they are confident of their own cultural identity holding out against any great change.
They actively encourage students to use English in their daily lives, and adopt a
learner friendly atmosphere in their classrooms.
3. Determine the extent to which teachers’ negative beliefs affect learner acquisition
of EFL.
The effect of negative teacher attitudes is obvious. Most negative teachers are
disinterested and apathetic towards teaching EFL. They make no attempt to keep
abreast of developments in language teaching. They use normative teaching
methodology; wherein, students concentrate on passing written tests, with very little
communicative activity in class. They discourage English usage outside the
classroom, lessening learner opportunities to interact in and practice target language.
This directly affects learners’ communicative skills, which are consistently rated as
poor for Saudi students. Certainly, their personal negativity is also transferred to
students, who do not feel motivated to acquire the language and become dispirited.
4. Examine whether teacher attitude towards English can be influenced by preservice/in-service teacher training and development.
It was found that teachers receiving better training opportunities and those
who did not have such opportunities did not have any major differences in their
attitudes towards English. At most points, both groups of teachers had similar
opinions (either positive or negative). The only major difference arose in interpersonal
teacher-student relations, where teachers with training had warmer relations with
students.
Conclusion
As established by this paper, there is no doubt that the attitudes of teachers
directly affect the acquisition of language by learners. A detailed literature review
followed by empirical research and analysis has verified this truth; and has also
highlighted the existence of negative biases towards English in the KSA. These biases
stem from various sources, particularly, religious and cultural conservatism. This is a
serious issue which needs to be tackled immediately. Religious and cultural biases
arise from either lack of knowledge and understanding, or from calculated antiwestern propaganda. The only way to combat this negativity is to increase the
knowledge and understating of ‘others’ amongst the populace, so that they can make
informed choices about their attitudes.
Saudi teachers with negative attitudes are not always aware of the true nature
of their beliefs; many asserted that they had positive attitudes towards English, but
closer examination revealed clear biases, held unconsciously by these teachers.
Parajes (1992) and Borg (2001) both have commented on the contradictory and
emotional nature of beliefs; the person holding the belief is utterly convinced of the
authenticity of their beliefs, regardless of the true nature of these beliefs. This is the
case for many Saudi teachers, who are vocally positive in their attitude, but, their
practice indicates the opposite. These teachers actively discourage English usage
outside the class and truly believe that English has no use outside the classroom. This
is in spite of KSA’s vast population of foreigner expatriates in relation to citizens’
population (Parfit, 1998). The main language of communication with these expatriates
is English, as well as being the language of commerce. Walk down any city market,
and it will be full of shops displaying international names/goods. Talk to any
youngster, and you will find all of them are constantly logged on to social networking
sites (Facebook and twitter etc.). Thus, English is actually popular at different levels
and for different purposes in Arab society. Teachers holding on to their stubborn
beliefs, of English having no impact on the daily lives of their students, are akin to the
ostrich hiding its head in the sand. They are fearful of the power of English to entice
the people away from native religious and cultural ethos; hence, they deny its
importance. This again is a reflection, not on the power of the language to sway the
masses, but the teachers own insecurity in their social and religious identities.
In conclusion, it can be stated that the state of EFL teaching in KSA is not up
to the mark. The prevalence of negative attitudes in teachers is adversely affecting
learner acquisition. Furthermore, EFL teaching is regarded as the golden egg which
guarantees economic advancement. Sincerity, towards teaching as a profession and
EFL teaching is sadly lacking, leading to many dissatisfied teachers and students.
Finally, it is recommended that the Saudi government take steps necessary to
encourage teachers having positive attitudes and increase in-service training.
Expensive teacher education programs in the west are not necessarily the solution.
Simple training programs within the country, which address the specific needs and
reduce the insecurities of teachers, will suffice. It is also recommended to actively
encourage teachers to keep abreast with language developments, and to encourage
teacher independence in the classroom.
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