The purpose of this research paper is to explore Saudi foundation-year teachers and students’ perceptions of the use of virtual classes for teaching or learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the English Language Institute (ELI) in King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The data for this study was collected through questionnaires from a total of 20 teachers and 22 students. The survey was conducted during the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020, and the data was analyzed quantitatively. The overall results of the questionnaires demonstrate that the majority of teachers and students held positive attitudes towards EFL virtual classes, however, they prefer face-to-face classrooms. Additionally, some participants admitted the huge role virtual classes play in improving learners’ autonomy.

Technology is being used in teaching environments to engage students and teachers effectively in the classroom context and building their interest to explore the versatile phenomenon of learning. Digital game-based learning has become a new learning experience that enhances students’ and teachers’ motivation to achieve competencies. The present research explores the perceptions of teachers and students about digital game-based learning in ESL classrooms. The researcher draws on the relevant literature to demonstrate and support the study's findings. The research is investigated quantitatively by administering a questionnaire to measure the perspectives of ESL teachers and the foundation-year students at King Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The quantitative data gathered from students and teachers were analyzed through SPSS software. The findings indicate that a significant number of respondents prefer using technological devices for better outcomes in the teaching and learning process. It also shows that using digital games had positive impact in relation to three main variables; engagement with learning and teaching, acceptance of DGBL and the effects of DGBL to learn the English language. This also helps participants to gain learning experience in their environment at any time and from anywhere.

There is no doubt that the teaching method has a significant effect on the student`s outcome and the responsibility for choosing the right method falls on the teacher. With experience, the teacher will be able to decide which method will fit the student’s needs. This research examines the most popular teaching methods and materials for teaching the English language in Saudi public schools, particularly in the upper elementary grades. It also aims to explore the perceptions of English language teachers of the methods and materials they consider to be the most effective in the teaching of lower elementary grades in Saudi public schools, who will be exposed to the English language for the first time. The sample of the study comprised 44 English teachers in Saudi public schools. The findings show that the majority of the English language teachers use Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) either alone or with other teaching methods. Moreover, most of them are willing to use it with the low grades of elementary. The findings also show that the most used materials in the classroom are videos, pictures, audiovisuals and the least used are written texts. These were the same materials that the teachers would like to use (with the same order of preference) for teaching the lower elementary grades. The findings have implications for current English language teachers who are willing to change their way of teaching and future teachers who would benefit from being aware of the effective methods of teaching the elementary grades in particular.

Willing to communicate (WTC) has been the focus of researchers in the field of second language acquisition SLA. Therefore, this study focuses on the learners’ WTC in the Saudi context. The participants were 23 female preparatory year students who studied English courses at King Abdul-Aziz University. The study’s instrument is a questionnaire adopted by Mahmoodi and Moazam (2014) to measure the WTC of Iranian learners and modified it to be suitable for Saudi learners. The findings indicated that the participants are WTC in English inside the classrooms; however, they are more willing to communicate outside the classrooms. The findings also showed a significant positive correlation between WTC inside and outside EFL classrooms. Finally, the study’s findings encourage the teachers and instructors to involve the learners in more interesting communicative activities that increase their WTC inside the classrooms.

This study proposes a framework designed to help e-tutors in English distance language learning programmes (DLLPs) in King Abdul-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia, in their role as distance e-tutors, and involves asking both how e-tutors can help distance learners to take control over their learning and how difficult it is to help their learners to develop new learning strategies, or to become autonomous learners. To reply to these questions, along with other research questions, I have decided to adopt three data-collection methods: reflective journals, semi-structure interviews and document analysis. However, this paper will concentrate on the process and analysis of the first method (reflective journals) for two main reasons: this method has never been used with e-tutors in this DLLP; and the researcher is keen to share with other researchers her experience of using this interesting and relatively new method of data collection in Saudi universities.