Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia: Struggles and Strategies

Abstract

This paper is based on action research carried out in King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the vital issues related to the teaching of English in Saudi Arabia. Some major problems include: influence of mother tongue, less exposure to English in day to day life, attitude towards teaching and learning English, lack of recent trends of EFL teaching, enrolling larger number of students in EFL classes and failure of creating effective teaching environment. The research is conducted among the first year students of Chemistry and Mathematics of King Khalid University, studying Intensive English (Blended Course) as university requirement for 12 hours a week for 15 weeks. The study proposes some remedial measures which recommend introducing English from the beginning of primary level, modern and effective teaching strategies, selecting appropriate textbooks, building sound teacher-student relationships and implementing diverse assessment methods.