AWEJ Volume.4 Number.3 2013 Pp.104 -123
Factors Impacting EFL Teaching: An Exploratory Study in the Saudi Arabian Context
Sayyed Rashid Shah
King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
M. Athar Hussain
King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Omar A. Nasseef
King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
This paper explored factors which influenced EFL teaching in the Saudi context, and identified various teaching techniques employed by qualified teachers to handle those factors. The research utilised semi-structured interviews to elicit qualitative data from five purposefully chosen EFL teachers. The participants shared their experiences and ideas about factors that influenced the pedagogical process in a positive or a negative way. The findings of the study highlighted that EFL teaching is challenged by three major factors comprising social, cultural, and religious sensitivities; lack of learners’ motivation; and unfavourable institutional policies and procedures, thereof. However, with keen awareness of Saudi culture, thorough understanding of the learners’ needs, and professional competence, the unfavourable effects of these factors might be neutralized or minimised. The present study attempted to offer considerable insights to course designers, teacher trainers, policy makers, and prospective EFL teachers working in Saudi Arabia and raise the consciousness of TESOL community at large about the issues broached in its contents.
Keywords: Teachers’ Self-efficacy; EFL teaching; Classroom challenges; Saudi EFL context