English in Saudi Arabia: Status and Challenges in The Light of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s Vision 2030

Abstract

It is essential that educational institutions prepare students for the workforce especially when they are teaching English. In most Saudi Universities English Departments have been established in the Faculties of Arts, Languages, Education and Translation. However, recognition of the need for English in the Saudi educational system has not always been matched by acceptable educational outcomes. This is indicated by the inadequate number of well-trained and highly qualified teachers of English. Lack of recognition has hindered progress towards reaching the Kingdom Vision of 2030 that focuses on empowering citizens through reshaping the educational system and turning learners into skillful, educated and independent individuals. Therefore, this study examines the extent to which the KSA Vision 2030, in terms of teaching English as a foreign language in universities, is being implemented. A questionnaire was given to first year students at the Northern Border University, in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire had two main sections, the first contained six general questions and the second section had 39 items covering very specific elements such as, Content & Teaching Methods, Evaluation & Assignments and Training & Professional Development. Analysing the data from the questionnaire was done using SPSS software.

Saudi EFL Students’ Production of Conventional Expressions in Second Language Pragmatics

“…In fact, it is more practical than to learn them from textbooks. What Saudis are going through in learning English language specifically is considered an essential in coping with the spreading of technology around the world (Mukhallafi, 2019). This similarity in the production of conventional expressions used by native English speakers and non-native English speakers contradicts a previous study based on investigation of Korean EFL learners (Park, 2016) , which emphasized that even high-proficiency students did not attain native-like use of conventional expressions.…”

Exploring Motivational Dynamics: The Role of Oral Activities in Improving Arab Students’ Learning of English

“…The inception of English language education in the Arabian Peninsula dates back to early twentieth century, when it was first introduced in middle and high schools (Al-Shammary, 1984;Mitchell & Alfuraih, 2017). Presently, the English language curriculum is generally integrated into the educational system, commencing from the first grade of elementary school, and extending through grade 12 in secondary education (Ahmed, 2020;Al Mukhallafi, 2019). The Saudi Ministry of Education (KSA MoE) has implemented a program to teach English starting from the first grade of primary school in the initial semester of the 2021-2022 academic year.…”

The Impact of EFL Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs and Practices: Communicative Language Teaching in A Saudi University Context

“…The Saudi vision 2030, states a clear strategic plan to empower Saudi youth generation by reshaping the educational system. Improving English language teaching output at all higher education institutes is one of the goals of the current such vision (Alghamdi, 2019;Al-Mukhallafi, 2019). The importance of English proficiency is clear to many Saudis, given its prominence in the modern international business world thus there is a real and growing need for more Saudis to be proficient in both spoken and written English.…”

“…Thus, providing the results of a standard English language test (i.e., IELTS, TOEFL) considered as a core requirement for admission and enrollment to all Saudi higher education institutes. In addition, the current Saudi Vision 2030 in education encourages undergraduate and postgraduate students to seek knowledge and becoming effective partners in the kingdom's vision (Alghamdi, 2019;Al-Mukhallafi, 2019). Another important point is that Saudi Arabia has relations with the largest oil companies around the world, and therefore English is used for most international, commercial transactions, and political negotiations (Abdallah, Al-Kahtany, & Faruk, 2016;Alrabai, 2018;Al-Seghayer, 2014).…”