English As A Second Language In Saudi Arabia - IJSER

International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 3, March-2016ISSN 2229-5518363teaching supervisors that are responsible for adjusting andNo matter how qualified (or not) the Ministry super-evaluating the methods and materials for English classes. Theyvisors are or the content of the textbooks, the English teachersare elected by the Ministry and they visit English teachers atin Saudi Arabia leave much to be desired. These teachers holdschool. They evaluate the courses and teaching methods thata bachelor’s degree in English and are required to pass a writ-teachers use in the classroom. They also report weaknessesten and oral exam prepared by Ministry supervisor beforeand strengths they observe. The Ministry offers some of thethey can teach, but many teachers still lack written proficiencysupervisors the opportunity to attend a training programand “many of whom had poor oral proficiency” (Martin andabroad. The ones chosen to attend a training program abroadAlshumaimeri 2014: 123) which speaks to the quality of Eng-also have the opportunity to make future decisions aboutlish language education in Saudi Arabia.Ideally, the Ministry supervisors train the teachersteaching English in Saudi Arabia (Martin and Alshumaimeri2014: 124).how to prepare the course and how to manage schedule toIJSERThe supervisors are responsible for providing thecover all of the required materials. Training for English teach-teachers with required textbooks and the lesson plans. Englishers only occurs twice a year for 30 minutes each session. Thistextbooks are published under the name of “English for Saudiis not near enough training to achieve the desired level of pro-Arabia” and include two types. The first one is known as theficiency for the students. The students are required to speak“student book” which mainly used in the classroom. The se-and use English in the classrooms yet students are still notcond version is the “workbook” which includes the assign-able to produce a meaningful sentence. They do not practicement exercises. Students get their homework from the work-English in different circumstances or apply what they learn.book. According to Martin and Alshumaimeri, the textbooksInstead, the teachers tend to use Arabic to explain the gram-are “organized by unqualified people” (2014: 125). They domar and translate the words. They do not have the opportuni-not understand the general approach of teaching English as aty to use English very often, even in the classrooms. Accordingsecond language to nonnative speakers. Previously, the text-to one of the supervisors’ reports; “many teachers were notbooks did not include useful topics and were not linked toaware of the goals and do not work to achieve them” (Martinconversational English. Even though, the Ministry adjusts theand Alshumaimeri 2014: 126).textbooks frequently, it is out of their control to change theOne of the general goals of teaching English is thatmain contents and to include topics that represent the westernstudents must acquire the four skills of English; reading, writ-language ideas and beliefs.ing, speaking and listening. The students’ textbooks includedIJSER 2016http://www.ijser.org

International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 3, March-2016ISSN 2229-5518364six units that include reading, writing, listening and focus onThey believe that their children can acquire Arabic and Eng-English grammar. It rarely focuses on speaking which left uplish languages during this period (critical period) without fac-to the teacher. Currently, they are not able to pronounce wordsing any difficulties. In contrary, it is very difficult to acquirecoherently or form logical sentences. Most of the students aredifferent languages after this critical period. Adults do notnot able to read in English or understand an English speaker.have the ability- as children do- to learn different languages.English supervisors try to help the teachers achieve the targetThe critical period hypothesis based on the function of humangoals of teaching English as a second language, but whenbrain, that a child has a flexible brain to acquire different lan-teachers are not even aware of the goals, students are not go-guages whereby adults do not. As in Paradis study, It is clearing to perform up to the standard. Saudi government providesthat age affects acquisition of implicit competence. From afunding for teaching English but it does not help. It wasbiological standpoint, the procedural memory’s plasticity de-shown that 87% of students that were taught for six years (in-creases after age of five (Paradis, 59-60).IJSERtermediate for 3 years and high school for 3 years) did notOn the other, hand, it is a problem for Saudi Arabia,achieve the expected level of English proficiency. A supervisorbecause some Saudi citizens believe that teaching English dur-explained “I think it is only few information about words thating the critical period would damage the values and take awaydoes not match the efforts and the money spent on it” (Martinfrom the children learning Arabic. They strongly disagreeand Alshumaimeri 2014: 125).about introducing English to elementary schools before 4thThere are ways to combat the lack of English profi-grade because they do not want any foreign language to inter-ciency with Saudi students: one view shows that Englishfere with Arabic language. Some people believe that both Ara-should be introduced between age 5 and puberty. This isbic and the Quran shape their Arabic ideology. Furthermore,called the “critical period”, during which language acquisitionthey resist involving western cultures and values throughis much less difficult and has been proven more successfulteaching English because western values conflict with Mus-long-term. The critical period of language acquisition beginslims values.from the child birth until the age of 5. At this sensitive period,4 MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGIES USED IN TEACHING ENGLISHa child is able to learn different languages easily. Recent researches show that children have the ability to differentiatebetween phonetic variations of different languages. It explainsthat Saudi Arabian people rely on critical period hypothesis.The content of English textbooks (units) representsthe Saudi cultures, religion and identities. It focuses on Muslims cultures; such as prayers, fasting, and pilgrimage; thateach adult Muslim has to perform them. Each level- includingIJSER 2016http://www.ijser.org

International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 3, March-2016ISSN 2229-5518365both the intermediate and the secondary schools- has to haverepresent the Arabic world’s values, beliefs and traditions.at least one unit about any topic connected to Islam issues. ForThey teach knowledge of the culture of Saudi Arabia and Is-example, the first year of the secondary school indicates alam more than actually teaching the features of English. Amain topic about “Hajj” which means pilgrimage. It includeschapter of “Saudi Arabia yesterday and today” (Mahboob andcertain items and words, specific grammar that connected toElyas 2014:139) discusses the life style of Saudi people in thethe topic. A pilgrim has to perform certain things like throw-previous decades and the development of factories in today’sing stones, sacrificing, hastening and shaving. Students haveday. It shows how Saudi people were living in small towns.to understand these words that link to the main topic. ThesePeople who lived in the eastern and western part were fisherstopics discuss local issues that belong to their cultures andwhereas people in other parts are farmers. It compares Saudireligion. They are already known and fully understood byArabians in the past to Saudi Arabians now and how the de-Saudi people, but they reintroduced in a foreign language. Thevelopment of factories affected Saudi culture and the economy.given example of “Hajj”; (pilgrimage) reveals that, studentsThe Ministry of Education keeps adjusting the text-are familiarized with “Islamic issues” which have been dis-books and the methodologies of teaching English. It indicatescussed and taught in their Arabic language. English languagetopics that would help the society to use English in their eve-serves as a translator for what they already know. (Mahboobryday life. It introduces general useful topics such as food,and Elyas 2014:131).travel, money, shopping and restaurants. In the restaurantIJSEROther examples, second and third year of the highchapter, they provide samples of conversation between theschool indicate chapters about “Ramadan” and “The earlycustomer and the waiter, including common words that wouldspread of the Islam” (Mahboob and Elyas 2014:138). The Ram-be used in this situation. For example, vocabulary words suchadan chapter includes the spiritual prayers that Muslims per-as “meal”, “dinner”, “invite” and “delicious” would be ex-form during that month. It details what Muslims are supposedplained. However, the only time students use these words is into do; fast, pray, and visit relatives. The chapter of the earlythe English language classroom. They do not use them at res-spread of the Islam discusses the message of prophet Mo-taurants since the workers are either from Arab countries orhamed “peace is upon him” and the beginning of Islam. Ram-workers who speak Arabic as a second language.adan and the early spread of the Islam are discussed andOn the other hand, the textbooks exclude any refer-taught in other classes. They are taught in history and religionence to western cultures. They never include chapters thatas well as Arabic class. The teaching materials in English classdiscuss “dating”, or “drinking alcohol” (Mahboob and ElyasIJSER 2016http://www.ijser.org

International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 3, March-2016ISSN 2229-55183662014:138) because these practices are against the Saudi cul-to “hello” and “hi” in English but the English translation failstures and Muslim religion. In addition, the textbooks showto acknowledge how religious terms play an important role insome of the Saudi culture’s beliefs. They discuss the role ofSaudi Arabia cultures. This is possible why “AssalamSaudi men and women in the society but fail to acknowledgeAlaikum” is used instead of “hello” and “hi” when learningwestern gender roles. The textbooks show how a Saudi Arabi-“English” greeting terms.an man takes on the responsibilities of his family by providingEnglish grammar taught in Saudi is a misconception;for them. A woman is depicted in the textbooks as the societalit does not represent the grammar of Standard English. Arabicexpectation. A Saudi woman is supposed to take care of herlanguage grammar does not correspond to English languagehusband, children and household above all else. English vo-grammar. For example, the English textbook provides the rulecabulary as “clean”, “baby”, “vacuum”, “cook” would be usedof “present perfect” (Mahboob and Elyas 136) and illustratesto describe the role of a Saudi woman.when it is used. The present perfect tense does not exist in Ar-IJSERThe textbooks do include difference between the edu-abic language. So, students misunderstand the rules whichcation systems in Saudi Arabia and western countries, though.result in using the tense inappropriately. Arabic languageFor example, the chapter called school in Britain encouragesgrammar and English language grammar also differs is in thethe students to distinguish between the education systemuse of articles; Saudi Arabian tend to omit the articles “a, an”there and of that in Saudi Arabia. It highlights the culturaland replace them by “the” since indefinite articles do not existdifferences such as how schools in Saudi are segregated ac-in Arabic Language.Furthermore, the textbook teaches Standard Englishcording to gender.Furthermore, Arabic language and Islam issues havebut it provides examples using different variations that con-a great impact on teaching English language in Saudi class-fuse students. The third person singular is an example of onerooms. The Arabic Muslim greeting “Assalam Alaikum”of the English variation. “He is a keen tennis player and he(Mahboob and Elyas 2014:139) and its response “waalikm Al-also like swimming” (Mahboob and Elyas 137) is a given ex-salm” means “peace upon you” and its response “upon youample in the English textbook. Researchers try to find the rea-peace” is used in these textbooks. It is an Arabic Muslim greet-sons behind these noticeable differences between the Standarding that is pronounced in the Arabic language phonology andEnglish and the English examples that given in the Saudi Eng-uses the English alphabet. It represents the power of Islamiclish textbooks. Saudi Experts think it could be an author’s mis-values. The term “Assalam Alaikum” is somewhat equivalenttakes. However, the textbooks are revised many times beforeIJSER 2016http://www.ijser.org

International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 3, March-2016ISSN 2229-5518367teaching them in the classrooms. So, it is unlikely that the au-rarely used out of classrooms, hospitals or companies and thatthor’s mistake could not be caught and corrected by those re-negatively affects the students’ performance. If English werevising the books.more widely used in Saudi Arabia, it would be easier for students to learn it and would therefore lead to a more promising5 CONCLUSIONTo conclude, teaching English as a second language isfuture.still advocated by both the Saudi government and the MinistryREFERENCESof Education. English is necessary since the western and the[1] Ahamed, Syed. English Translation of the Message of the Quran.Third ed. Lombard: Book Of Signs Foundation, 2007. 378.Print.international companies are based in Saudi Arabia. English isused in Saudi Arabian hospitals. Corporation and hospitalshave international schools for the workers and their childrenIJSERthat introduce English in Saudi Arabia public and privateschools.[2] MAHBOOB, AHMAR, and TARIQ ELYAS. "English In TheKingdom Of Saudi Arabia." World Englishes 33.1 (2014): 128142. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2014[3] Paradis, M. A neurolinguistic theory of bilingualism.Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2004. Print. 59-62[4] Wedell, Martin, and Yousif Alshumaimeri. "Putting out theFires: Supervisors' Experiences of Introducing Primary English in Saudi Arabia." System 46(2014).0346-251X: 120-30.Print.The Ministry of Education shows its support by offering English classes in Saudi schools and assigning supervi-sors to evaluate and adjust the teaching methods and theteacher’s techniques. Saudi nations show their value and respect to both Arabic language and Islam. It affects the systemof teaching English including the textbooks and the contentthat focuses on their local cultures and beliefs. Also, Arabiclanguage phonology replaces some of English terms whichconnect to Islamic features instead of English ones. Arabicphonology affects the methods of teaching English grammar.Students mistake Arabic grammar for English grammar andapply Arabic grammar rules instead. The role of the speechcommunity inserts the importance of Arabic language. It isspoken everywhere except hospitals and the companies whereEnglish is the language of instruction. English language isIJSER 2016http://www.ijser.org

The research will be focusing on the History of English language in Saudi Arabia. Also, it shows the importance of the language . in different fields including; business companies, hospitals and education. It discusses the Materials and the methodologies that used to teach English language in Saudi Arabia schools in the previous years.