View Article |
Developing the English curriculum in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia: possibilities and challenges
Alshammari, Alya Khulaif1.
The world-wide diffusion of English has led to the development of regional varieties known
collectively as World Englishes (WEs) and the need to teach English as an International
Language (EIL). In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), although English is now a mandatory
component of the curriculum from Grade 4 primary school, current materials and methods of
English language teaching reflect Anglo-American cultural and linguistic norms and values, and
therefore lack the diverse nature of English today and conflict with the Islamic discourses and
values. In addition, there continues to be a marked preference for the standard American English
accent. Such focus on standard English along with other linguistic and cultural factors have led
to substandard English skills among Saudis. Moreover, English teachers in Saudi Arabia do not
know much about EIL paradigm and its benefits on uplifting students' intercultural
communicative skills in English, the essential requirement for the newly proposed
conceptualisation of English competency. This paper discusses the inadequacy of the English
materials used in the KSA schools and universities and argues that an EIL framework should be
implemented in English curricula at all levels. The challenges of such change are also
highlighted.
Affiliation:
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia
Download this article (This article has been downloaded 272 time(s))
|
|
Indexation |
Indexed by |
MyJurnal (2021) |
H-Index
|
3 |
Immediacy Index
|
0.000 |
Rank |
0 |
|
|
|