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This is to certify that the dissertation entitled A Survey of the English Language Supervisors' and Teachers' Perceptions of the English Language Curriculum in the Secondary Schools of Saudi Arabia presented by Talal Obaid Dhafar has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Dr. Robert Hatfield Major professor fiwW May 14, 1986 I)ate MS U i: an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution 0-12771 MSU BEIURNING MATERIALS: Place in book drop to “mums remove this checkout from ”- your record. ‘FINES will be charged if book is returned after the date stamped below. 533 ill’lo in A SURVEY OP THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPERVISORS' AND TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CDRRICULUN IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS OP SAUDI ARABIA BY Talal Obaid Dhafar A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Teacher Education 1986 ABSTRACT A SURVEY OP THE ENGLISH LANGUAEE SUPERVISORS' AND TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CURRICULUN IN SECONDAR! SCHOOLS OP SAUDI ARABIA BY Talal Obaid Dhafar The main purpose of this study was to determine the present status of implementation of the English curriculum in Saudi Arabian Secondary Schools, and to identify the extent to which the English curriculum is meeting the needs of the secondary school student as perceived by the supervisors and teachers. The population in the study represented one region in Saudi Arabia and included all teachers and supervisors of the English language in the four major cities of this region. 'The teachers were contacted individually by the researcher who had obtained support letters from the Saudi Arabian Administration of Education. The specific questions investigated were: 1. What is the opinion of teachers and supervisors about the implementation of the program? 2. 'To what extent do teachers and supervisors agree about the English curriculum used in Saudi secondary schools? 3. On what recommendations do teachers and supervisors differ? Talal Obaid Dhafar 4. 'What are the suggested recommendations for the improvement of the English curriculum? 5. What is the quality of textbooks and other materials of the secondary school English programs in Saudi Arabia? The data for this study were obtained using the questionnaires which were distributed to all Saudi and Non- Saudi supervisors and teachers of the English language working in the secondary schools of Makkah, Madeena, Jeddah and Taif in the Western Province of Sauid Arabia. In addition, interviews were conducted with selected supervisors and teachers. The most important recommendations, which were based on the review of related research, the supplementary'data, and the interview questions are the need for: (a) more»c1asses.per week, (d) in-service programs for both supervisors and teachers, (c) a voice in policy making decisions and (d) the syllabus to be revised and improved, even though it is good. ACKNONLEDGEHENTS All praise is due to Allah and peace be upon his Messenger Muhammad. I wish to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Robert Hatfield, for his support, understanding, and providing the valuable advice and assistance throughout the entire doctoral program. I also wish to thank the other dissertation committee members: Dr. Ben Bohnhorst, Dr. Paul Munsell, and Dr. Donald Freeman for their assistance, encouragement, and constructive critique which helped me in the process of completing the study. Special thanks and sincere appreciation go to all of the directors of Administration of Education, the English supervisors, the principals of the secondary schools and all of the teachers of English in the secondary schools in Makkah, Hadeena, Jeddah, and Taif in the western Province of Saudi Arabia. The greatest debt of all is owed to my parents, my uncle, my mother-in-law, and my relatives without whose steady support, sacrifice, prayer, and love this study could never have been realized. ii I am grateful to my wife, Layla, for her patience, care, and encouragement in each step I made toward the completion of the research. . Finally, I would like to express my deep appreciation to my son Maher and my two daughters, Samah and Fareeda for their precious moments of fatherly companionship and reducing, with their cheerful smiles, the difficulties I faced during my doctoral program. May Allah bless them and make them among the righteous. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LI ST OF TABLES O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O CHARTER I INTRODUCTION 0 O I O O O O O 0 Background for the Study . . . Curriculum Development in Saudi Arabia Statement of the Problem . . . . . . The Purpose of the Study . . . . . Research Questions . . . . . . . . Importance of the Study. . . . . . Delimitations and Generalizability Definition of Terms. . . . . . . . Plan of Presentation . . . . . . . summary. 0 O O O O O O O C O O O 0 II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE . . . . . The Meaning of Curriculum. . . . . The Meaning of Curriculum Development. The Purposes of Studying the English Language. Factors Affecting the Design of EFL Programs The Effects of the Native Language . The Characteristics of ESL Students. Difficulties of Arabs Learning English \~_.»—Some Relevant Studies. . . English Instruction in Other Countries Oman 0 O I I O O O O O O C O O 0 Egypt. O O O I O O O O O O O O 0 Iraq . . . A Brief Overview of the English Curric of Saudi Arabian Schools . . . . . Duration of English Training . Syllabuses and Hours . . . Teachers of English Education. Difficulties of Recruitment. . Materials Support. . . . . . . Audio-Visual Support . . . . . sumaIYo O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 iv ulu vii CHARTER. Ease I I I METHODOLOGY I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 3 9 Research Questions . . . . . . . . . 39 Rationale for Selecting the Population . . . . . 40 Development of the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . 41 Description of the Questionnaire . . . . . . 4l validity of the Questionnaire. . . . . . . . 43 Reliability of the Questionnaire . . . . . . 44 Data Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 sumary I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ‘7 Iv DATA ANALYS I S I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 4 8 Perceptions of Supervisors and Teachers Across the Five Areas of the Questionnaire . . 49 Differences in Response Patterns as a Function of Age. . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Differences in Response Patterns as a Function of Nationality. . . . . . . . . 58 Differences in Response Patterns as a Function of Major. . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Differences in Response Patterns as a Function of In-Service Programs. . . . . . 64 Similarities and Differences in Responses Among Supervisors and Teachers . . . . . . . . 64 Recommendations on Which Teachers and Supervisors Differed . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Recommendations on Which Supervisors and Teachers Generally Agreed. . . . . . . 74 Other Contrasts Between Supervisors and Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Interview Results. . . . Supplementary Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Teaching the English Language. . . . . . . . 93 SupeIVisionI I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 94 Materials. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 95 Preparation. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 95 Syllabus I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 96 Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Learning and Teaching English-~Pupils' weaknesses I I I I I I I I I I I 98 English Teachers at AL-Faisal Secondary SChOOl I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 100 Concerning Composition . . . . . . . . . . . 102 summary. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 102 V SUMMARY, FINDINGS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 o 3 Research Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Discussion of Major Findings . . . . . . . . . . 105 Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 V Recommendations. . . . . Recommendations fo the MOE Authorities. Recommendations for the Supervisors. . Recommendations for the Teachers . . . Recommendations for Further Study. . . . . summarYI I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I AEBENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I B THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CURRICULUM IN SAUDI SECONDARY SCHOOLS I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I C OBJECTIVES OF SAUDI ARABIAN SCHOOLS' ENGLISH (SASE)oooooooooooooooococ D LETTERS I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I REFERENCES I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I vi 110 111 113 114 115 116 117 133 135 165 170 LIST OF TABLES Reliability of the Questionnaire. . . . . . . . . Means and Standard Deviations of Responses to Each Item on the Questionnaire (Grouped by Five Differences in Response the Respondents' Age. . Differences in Response the Respondents' Differences in Response the Respondents' Differences in Response the Respondents' Differences in Mean Level of Response for Supervisors and Teachers. . Non-Significant Subpopulation Differences for Response to Questions Focusing on When Students Should Begin Learning English and What Skills vii Table 3.1 4.1 Categories) . . . . . . . 4.2 Statistically Significant Patterns as a Function of 4.3 Statistically Significant Patterns as a Function of Nationality . . . . . . . 4.4 Statistically Significant Patterns as a Function of major I I I I I I I I I I 4.5 Statistically Significant Patterns as a Function of In-Service Program. . . . 4.6 Statistically Significant 4.7 Supervisors and Teachers. 4.8 They Learn. . . . . . . . 4.9 Syllabus. . . . . . . . . 4.10 Ratings of the Quality of Lab, Textbooks and Areas of Student Weakness . . . . . . . . . . . . 2B9: 44 50 59 60 63 65 66 67 76 77 78 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Saudi Arabia belongs in the category of beginning developing countries. Paradoxically, it can boast of one of the largest per capita incomes in the world. Its wealth was made possible by the discovery and utilization of vast oil deposits underground--the "black gold'--without which the machinery of daily life in most developed countries would grind to a halt. We see this precious and vital natural resource as a gift from Allah (God) and feel bound’/ to use it to return our country to its proper place in the , concert of nations. we see education as one of the most important tools in the realization of our dream and the secure route to establish Saudi Arabia lastingly in the category of developed countries. We intend to give our people all of the comforts and technologies of the modern world and to make our country self-sufficient in the process. To this end, we must trade our oil for western technology. To benefit in a lasting manner from the new technology, many of our students go abroad for their higher education. Saudi students pursue careers in the science area, e.g. computer science, physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine, and education. After graduation, they apply their technical knowledge either in the practice of a profession or through 1 2 teaching others. There are now seven universities in five major cities in Saudi Arabia--Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Dhahran, and Dammam. Still, they are not fully staffed by Saudi Arabians, and we must import foreign teachers, as well as foreign doctors, engineers, and technical experts in many fields. As one of the languages of modern science, and the second language of many countries, teaching English has been a priority for the education system. Knowledge of English profits us in innumerable ways: from international relations and foreign studies to daily exchange with foreign teachers and professionals in our midst. Although the need is obvious, the supply of qualified English teachers is not equal to the demand, and our learning objectives are a considerable distance from being met. Even after studying English for six or more years, our high school graduates still have a minimal ability in English. After entering higher levels of education, most of them find themselves in need of relearning what they thought they had mastered, or face almost certain failure. Another as yet unmeasured but certainly important consequence of this block in our path to progress is the fact that much of the relearning is actually unlearning. ‘Wrong language habits inculcated—-drilled through the formative years--in the guise of education are one of the 3 greatest obstacles our students must overcome before they can reach advanced levels of language proficiency. It was the purpose of this study to identify some of the virtues and deficiencies of English language education programs in Saudi Arabian secondary schools and to derive from that analysis clear and practical steps for the betterment of such education. The researcher hoped to obtain a better sense of direction in the long-term pursuit of educational goals and immediately applicable steps towards the improvement of teacher training programs and English language curricula in our schools. Background for the Study In Saudi Arabia, the teaching of English as a foreign language begins at the intermediate level (grades seven through nine) and continues at the secondary level (grades ten through twelve). By the time Saudi Arabian students begin undergraduate or professional studies, they have had at least six years of English. Throughout the intermediate and secondary school system, the syllabus for English is set and controlled centrally through the educational authorities of the Ministry of Education. This applies even to the choice of supplementary materials and to the weight to be given, in terms of teaching hours, to the various parts of the syllabus. There is no regional institutional or minority 4 group variation; the textbooks were compiled and are periodically revised by the English language authorities, and are printed and distributed by the Ministry. Even the secondary school examinations at the end of secondary (high) school are set centrally at the Ministry of Education. Marking and general standards are also controlled by the Ministry. Al-Kamookh (1981) cited the Ministry's rationale in introducing the English language as part of the curriculum as follows: 1. English is the language most widely used in travel around the world, and it is the most broadly used language in the mass media. 2. Since Saudi Arabia has established diplomatic relations with the Western World, English must become the most important foreign language taught in all government schools. Therefore, many individuals are expected to hold positions that require them to deal with English speaking people. For this reason, good instruction in English is needed so they can understand the other party and whatever materials are required in their professional development. 5 3. English is acknowledged as the leading language of science, technology, education, and politics as well as business and commerce. 4. Reference, scientific research and technological terms are written in English, so English should be taught to our students in order for our people to comprehend what they read in English. 5. Understanding the culture and the thinking of other peoples requires us to understand the language which reflects their thought and ideas. (9- 3) Curriculum Development in Saudi Arabia In recent years the expansion of education in Saudi Arabia has been recognized by the government and other influential Saudi circles as a great and pressing necessity. The issue of curriculum development, whether in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, is considered to be one of the most complex, yet inevitable and continuous necessities in any educational system. In Saudi Arabia in an attempt to match up the new changes in all fields of life, a variety of modification, reformation, and assigning of specific principles to curriculum has been utilized. And in response to the necessity for development and progress of its nation, the Saudi government, through the Ministry of Education, 6 realized the need for an educational system capable of preparing the new generation for the responsibility of the progress of the country. This can only be done through a new and capable educational system which cannot be improved without revising the old curriculum. To carry out such new objectives and goals, Saudi Arabia sought help from foreign experts and drew upon their experiences. These experts offered their assistance in developing the educational system. Since the time that they sought help from foreign experts, there has been a major shift in planning, designing, and implementing curriculum. Even though this involvement of foreign experts has promoted curriculum change in Saudi Arabia, many Saudi educators think that this was not the right process. This is because the new curricula, which were designed by those experts, were not (in most cases) relative to the Saudi life. This does not mean that we ignore the experiences of others, but also we have to put in our minds the role of the Saudi educators, especially those who have studied abroad. Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes of teachers and supervisors in the English sections of the secondary schools of the western Province 7 of Saudi Arabia and to determine the extent to which they feel the English curriculum is meeting the objectives of the Ministry of Education. This study, by soliciting responses from teachers and supervisors, determined the degree to which the curriculum is perceived as effective and efficient, the degree of job satisfaction of teachers, the usefulness of in-service activities, and types of methods and philosophy being used. Furthermore, the attitude survey attempted to uncover perceived problems and determine teachers' and supervisors' suggestions for improving the curriculum. Although Saudi educational authorities have often stressed the importance of the English Foreign Language Program, the inadequacies of the English Foreign Language Program in Saudi Arabia have recently been studied and expressed by several Saudi researchers. As stated by Jan (1984): Students who come to the United States for further studies (after eight to ten years of studying the language) must spend between three and six university quarters learning English to pass the TOEFL (a test required by most American universities). Some students must begin learning English as if they had not studied it at all. (p. 6-7) 8 Altwaijri (1982) also commented, "The Saudi students spend at least ten years learning English, among their other courses of study, but their English proficiency is generally unsatisfactory when compared to the amount of time spent learning it' (p. 5-6). As further noted by AL-Kamookh (1981), 'By determining our situation, we can maintain and improve our teaching methods, develop new materials, and explore new changes for the English teacher training program" (p. 6). These studies have identified considerable dissatisfaction with the current results of our instructional programs. The Ministry of Education writes and distributes the curriculum for the English teachers to use in their classes. There are curricula written for all levels of English as they are taught in the Saudi schools. Appendix C shows an example of this standardization of curriculum. It contains a list of the objectives of the Saudi Arabian Schools' English. This study was conducted to investigate the perception of teachers and supervisors regarding the standardized curriculum, materials, and equipment used by the secondary schools in Saudi Arabia to meet the Ministry's objectives in teaching the English language. This study was also an extension of earlier work done by others which led to suggestions for improvement and development of such education. 9 The Purpose of the Study The main purpose of this study was to determine the present status of implementation of the English curriculum in Saudi Arabian Secondary Schools as perceived by the teachers and supervisors, and to identify the extent to which the English curriculum is meeting the needs of the secondary school students. Research Questions The specific questions investigated were: 1. What is the opinion of teachers and supervisors about: a) materials and curriculum equipment; b) methodology and philosophy of teaching; c) their own abilities: linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural: d) capabilities, interests, and motivations of students; and, e) supervision, administration, and the scheduling of teaching? 2. To what extent do teachers and supervisors agree about the English curriculum used in Saudi secondary schools? 3. On what recommendations do teachers and supervisors differ? 4. What overall similarities and differences appear in the opiniOns of teachers and supervisors? 10 5. What recommendations for the improvement of English curriculum are suggested? 6. What is the quality of textbooks and other materials of the secondary school English programs in Saudi Arabia? Importance of the Study Saudi Arabian society is in a state of major and rapid flux in almost every respect. Understanding ourselves and others in this process requires clear communication. Command of the language (in which we communicate with most of the world) promotes stability in the midst of development. Our preparatory school graduates do not achieve English mastery, despite the amount of time devoted to its pursuit. During the last few years, Saudi Arabia has taken steps toward the improvement of the educational system. The need for this improvement has brought about many new schools. As a result of this educational expansion, a need has arisen for changing the English language curriculum. It was felt that the English curriculum could best be evaluated by surveying the attitudes and perceptions of current teachers and supervisors. This study, which surveyed the English supervisors' and teachers' perceptions of the English curriculum, will be useful to our Ministry 11 of Education, the principal authority for boys' education up to the end of secondary studies. Delimitations and Generalizability The research was limited to all the secondary schools in Makkah, Madeena, Jeddah, and Taif in the Wtstern Province of Saudi Arabia. It was limited to all of the secondary English supervisors and teachers working and teaching in these schools. The study was limited to male secondary schools because the primary data collection procedure, personal interviews, is permitted only with members of the same sex, which is in accordance with Islamic religious principles and traditions. 'The investigation involved male supervisors and teachers of English. Research was limited to four cities because conditions there were assumed to be similar to those in other parts of the country, and also because all Saudi schools are centralized and controlled by the Ministry of Education which specifies one program for all schools. As a result, the program would be similar in all parts of the country. Definition of Terms Allah: In Islam, the one supreme being--God. Arabic word meaning "God". 12 Saudl_Aruhia: A Kingdom in the northern central part of Arabia. WWW: Cities in Saudi Arabia which are located in the western pmovince. The questionnaire was given in all four of these cities. Q11; Petroleum, the source of many economically important substances. The discovery of oil has enabled Saudi Arabia to develOp, which has made the teaching of English more important. ELT: English Language Teaching. TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language. EFL: English as a Foreign Language. CuLLlQulum: A written outline, listing books and exercises that is used in teaching English in Saudi Arabia. It is written and maintained centrally at the Ministry of Education. W: The sum total of attainments and learned behavior patterns of any specific period, race, or people, regarded as expressing a traditional way of life are subject to gradual but continuous modification by succeeding generations. lalum: The religion of the Moslems. Plan of Presentation Chapter I contained an introduction to the problem and a description of the research plan. In Chapter II, a 13 review of literature is presented. Methods of data collected and analysis are specified in Chapter III, and Chapter IV includes a statistical analysis of the study findings. Chapter V includes a summary of the study, conclusions and interpretations drawn from the findings, and recommendations for further study. Summary Chapter I introduced this study. As well as an introduction, it included discussions on the statement of the problem, the background of the study, the present condition of the English curriculum in Saudi Arabian Schools, and the need for the study. Chapter II will contain a discussion of relevant literature related to this study. CHAPTER II REVIEW 0? RELATED LITERATURE A few studies of individual subject matter fields at the secondary school level have been done. As this study deals with some specific questions as stated in the introduction, this chapter surveys a sampling of the wide variety of literature available related to these questions, as well as literature related to studies of a similar nature that have been conducted. The chapter is divided into five major areas. First, the meaning of curriculum and curriculum development are defined. Second, the reasons why Saudi Arabians teach English to their students are presented. Third, factors such as the effects of the native language, the characteristics of ESL students, and difficulties of Arabs learning English which are important in this field are described. The impact these factors have on the publishing of programs of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), especially those directed to Arab students, are also investigated. Fourth, a survey of relevant studies are reviewed. Fifth, a brief description of the present status of the English language curriculum in the secondary schools of Saudi Arabia is reported. 14 15 The Meaning of Curriculum Many educators have defined the meaning of curriculum in several ways based on their own points of view. Some view the “curriculum“ as simply the total of the experiences a student may have in a school. Others would say that a curriculum exists only when it contains a series of essential references about content and how that content is to be addressed in a planned, explicit way. Ghosh, et al. (1977) said: The term "curriculum" is sometimes understood to mean the list of subjects, topics, books, etc., which the student is expected to study . . .. . The framers of the curriculum have the responsibility of defining completely the educational needs of the learner and identifying all the means whereby these needs can be fulfilled. In other words, the curriculum should provide a comprehensive plan on which the entire system of learning and teaching can be based. (p. 12- 13) In a more concise way of dealing with the concept of curriculum, Eisner (1979) said, ”Curriculum is used in a wide variety of ways. It has a common sense meaning as broad as ‘what schools teach' to as narrow as ‘a specific educational activity planned for a particular student at a particular point in time"I (p. 34). 16 So the word “curriculum", whether it is used in its narrow or broadest senses, seems to be the total sum of experiences which includes the values, objectives, materials, and goals of education that a certain society tries to provide their learners. The Meaning of Curriculum Development Curriculum development is considered one of the most important factors in the school setting. Many educators have attempted to define and express the concept of curriculum development. Zais (1976) commented: Curriculum development is a process which determines how curriculum construction will proceed. It is concerned with the following questions: Who will be involved in curriculum construction--teachers, administrators, parents, students? What procedures ‘will be used in curriculum construction-- administrative direction, faculty committees, university consultation? If committees are to be employed, how will they be organized? (p. 17) Another definition for curriculum development appears in the anglfig_nlgtlgnary_uf_£duuntign (1982): 'Curriculum development is work aimed at improving or adding to an institution's curriculum, ideally by researching, analyzing, and testing current instruction techniques and l7 objectives as well as introducing guidelines for new curricula' (p. 60). Based on the previous definitions, it can be seen that before developing a program or giving instructions, many procedures must be followed concerning who, what, how, and why to reach and realize the right change and development. The Purposes of Studying the English Language Before discussing the principles upon which an assessment system can be developed based on the goal of program improvement, one may ask about the reasons why Saudi Arabians teach English to their students. Thus, it is necessary to know the purposes of studying the English Language. Alkhuli (1976) stated some of these reasons when he said, "English now, because of economic, political, and historical reasons, is almost an international language. It is nowadays one of the few languages needed in the fields of business, politics, and education" (p. 10). .Altwaijri (1982) wrote the following additional and more precise objectives which were developed by the Ministry of Education on the basis of the general policies of the government. These objectives stated that the teaching of the English language in Saudi Arabia's schools was necessary because: 1. English is the language most widely used in science, medicine, technology, and many other 18 fields of knowledge; therefore, Saudi students need to acquire this language to be able to cope with these sciences and their development. 2. Transmitting the knowledge and sciences of the Muslims to other peoples, and introducing the people of the Kingdom to the world, requires a knowledge of a widely used language; English is the most eligible one for this purpose. 3. Spreading the message of Islam among the peoples of the world is one of the major duties of the people of the kingdom; therefore, a means of communication that is widely used is needed, and the English language happens to be this widely used language. (p. 3) Factors Affecting the Design of EFL Programs There are many factors that may affect or influence the design of EFL programs. Teachers, supervisors and educators need to be aware of these factors while designing and evaluating programs. Waging: Yorkey (1974) indicated that for analysis to be useful as a basis for assessing EFL methods and materials, one must first answer the question, I'What is the native language of the Arabic-speaking student?“ He added that 19 before considering some of the problems that Arabic- speaking students face while learning English, and before recommending effective teaching procedures, two characteristics of the Arab population that have an impact on learning a foreign language should be discussed: 1. the geographical divisions of the Arab world and resulting cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic differences, and 2. the interrelationships between the Arabic language and the attitude of Arabs toward their language. (p. l) Ths_ChAIaEIfiLifiLiQfi_Q£_ESL_£LnfifinL§ Meinhoff & Meinhoff (1976) specified some of the characteristics of Kuwaiti ESL students. These characteristics represent not only Kuwaitis, but also most Gulf Arab students. QLfll_£9mmnni£nLiQn. Most Gulf Arab students are willing to participate orally, even though they may not always be adept grammatically (Meinhoff & Meinhoff, 1976, Pa 3). Cg;tahu_gultural_£uutura. While Western and Oriental students are accustomed to individual study, Gulf Arab students work better in groups. The students' preference for working together in the classroom could stem from the fact that they seldom do things individually in their 20 social environment. This togetherness and emphasis on conversation is a factor contributing to their facility in using a foreign language for purposes of oral communication (Meinhoff & Meinhoff, 1976, p. 8-9). .Arabic_diglossia. Because Gulf Arab students speak a language variation (not standard Arabic) which they consider not to have a grammar, they may also think that grammatical distinctions in spoken English are unimportant (Meinhoff & Meinhoff, 1976, p. 11). Namgfi. The confusion in knowing how to use titles and names properly in English is due to the fact that Arabs generally transfer the Arabic rules concerning names directly into their English speech (Meinhoff & Meinhoff, 1976, p. 12). The above discussion identified the areas, as explained by Meinhoff & Meinhoff (1976), that educators and writers of EFL programs must be knowledgeable about in order to successfully teach English to native speakers of Arabic. It presented various issues that must be examined before establishing a syllabus of EFL programs. Wish There are many other difficulties with which Arabs are confronted as they attempt to learn English. Thompson- Panos & Thomas-Ruzie (1983) reported some observations about Arab learners. First, instructors should be 21 sensitive to the difficulties all students face in the task of English spelling, especially in the matter of vowels. Second, the instructor who is aware of the very different writing and spelling conventions which characterize written Arabic will be better able to provide useful assistance. Third, ESL instructors might observe that their Arab students characteristically make relatively little use of a dictionary. Fourth, Arabic and English have differing distribution of nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and often errors in word use are related to semantic and distributional differences in use rather than to structural dissimilarities (p. 612-614). In their conclusion, Thompson-Panos & Thomas-Ruzic (1983) stated: Familiarity with students' typical errors and problem areas is a responsibility of all ESL instructors. . . . Greater sensitivity to these issues can help the ESL specialist to assess and address the needs of Arab students whose writing must meet university standards. (p. 621) As can be seen, it is very helpful and important to be aware of these differences and it is also important to keep in mind that if these differences are pointed out to the Arab learners they will benefit from them. 22 Other researchers have looked at different factors that are useful for ESL instructors and learners. On the subject of students' motivation, Kharma (1977) identified some very important factors which seem to affect the students' stage. 1. motivation to learn English at the secondary They are summarized as follows: During the adolescent period, students begin to form a kind of prejudice against foreign cultures and consequently reject the values characteristic of those cultures. The students' clarity of mind about their future careers, the priorities they give to the subjects that will help them achieve their objectives, and the comparative importance of English in the achievement of those objectives. The compulsory nature of the syllabus has a negative effect. Many students reach the secondary stage with an accumulated weakness in English. The content of the textbook can do something towards motivating students. Foreign language institutes should provide a strong incentive for learning. The feeling of over security which puts too much dependence on the government although it looks 23 wise at first sight, is creating some dangerous side effects. (p. 79-81) As stated by Kharma (1977): In summary, it seems obvious that in the secondary stage the most important element in English language learning is the students' motivation and that this is influenced by external factors that the teacher is not always able to control or neutralize. (p. 81) Of course, the above factors which seem to affect the students' motivation are not easy to put into practice without dealing with the factors that cause motivation and require a great deal of research. There are some other factors which were also discussed by Kharma (1977). Among the motivating factors were the following: 1. The age at which the student begins to learn the foreign language. 2. The student's linguistic and cultural background and the status of the mother tongue. 3. The student's attitude to school in general, his and his parents' and the community's attitude to native speakers of the language and/or their country. 4. The parents' educational background. 5. The prestige of the language both locally and internationally, and the need for learning the 24 language and the aspects of that language which are needed most. 6. The nature of the educational system in general, the place of the foreign language in that system and the objectives of teaching it. 7. The student's first experience with the language. 8. The type and caliber of the teachers, the teachers' attitude to the teaching profession in general. 9. The relationship between teacher and student. 10. The school's attitude to the language. 11. The textbooks used and the objectives of the syllabus. 12, The individual differences in language aptitude, intelligence, and interests. (p. 103-104) The above factors, although there are some which are not approved as important motivating factors, need a great deal of research. The researcher feels that we cannot deny and forget them. We have to look into them as they are really very important factors. In Saudi Arabia, like any other Arabian Countries, the situation is the same or similar and most of those factors exist in Saudi Arabia. More surveys on factors affecting the design of EFL programs to identify the problems are needed for better improvement. 25 Other purposes have also been presented, 'No single kind of learning can be expected to account for all of the learning and teaching that goes on. Different kinds of things are learned in different ways' (Gage, 1977, p. 40- 83). Some Relevant Studies Several studies have been conducted about different aspects of teaching English as a foreign language. Those studies which are similar to this one will be reviewed. Of course, most of these studies do not deal with the field of English curriculum in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia, but they do provide very important factors which have a close relation to the English curriculum. This is because some of the studies are related to Saudi researchers and others come from different Arab countries which have similar situations, circumstances, systems, goals, and objectives. Altwaijri (1982) conducted a study on the adequacy of students' preparation in EngliSh as a foreign language in the Saudi schools. The study was conducted using Saudi graduate students enrolled in schools and universities all over the United States. Four-hundred ninety-nine of them answered the questionnaire which consisted of two parts: Part I had four areas: (a) The Materials Used in Teaching English, (b) The Methods of Teaching English, (c) Student's 26 Participation and Attitudes Toward Learning English, and (d) Recommendations for Improvement. The students were asked to determine their level of proficiency in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, before and after coming to the United States. In Part II of the questionnaire, the students were asked to respond to questions on their age, sex, area of study, date of arrival in the United States, time spent in languge training in the United States and TOEFL scores, if taken. The results of this study, based on the responses of the students, indicated that the students were dissatisfied with the materials used in teaching English in the Saudi schools, the methods used in teaching English were viewed negatively by the students, the students had a positive attitude toward learning English, and recommendation for improvement showed the importance of English instruction to the students. Altwaijri's (1982) study also showed the relationship between the proficiency of students in all four of the skills before and after coming to the United States. There was a significant increase in ability to the present level. It also indicated that the textbooks and materials of teaching were designed by non-Saudi experts. The new textbooks were thought of as being suitable to the Saudi students' needs and situation: they are yet to be tested at 27 a later stage to determine their impact on the students' learning of the language. The study recommended that a revision and reevaluation of the materials used in teaching English in Saudi schools needs to be undertaken by specialized Saudi educators to improve them; the textbooks and other instructional materials should be designed to introduce the culture and history of the Muslim people, the country's peculiarities, and all necessary information about other nations of the world: the Ministry of Education should arrange for meetings for the English language teachers; schools should be provided with English materials and should be equipped with language labs: and supervision of the teaching of English in Saudi schools should be improved and increased. It would be better to start teaching English in the upper grades of the elementary schools. AL-Kamookh (1981) undertook a study to survey the English language teachers' perceptions of the English language teaching methods in the intermediate and secondary schools of the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia by identifying the kinds of methods that were being applied by teachers in Saudi schools. The results indicated that the audio-lingual method had the tdghest mean among all methods. 28 The study also showed the lack of facilities such as language labs. The importance of the English language was indicated by most of the teachers to be from the first to the sixth place among the other subjects. Most of the teachers never attended foreign language programs. The study recommended that students should be aware of why they are learning English. The Ministry of Education shouLd encourage the in—service English teachers to take relevant courses that would enable them to overcome inadequacies. Further studies should concentrate on the attitudes of the teachers and students toward the curriculum of the English language program and the amount of time alloted to it in the school day. ,Ls Another study was conducted by Jan (1984) to investigate the problems of the English program in intermediate boys' schools of Saudi Arabia as viewed by the intermediate students, the English teachers, and the English supervisors. His study also investigated the effectiveness of the teaching environment, the class atmosphere, and the present situation under which English is taught. The items of the questionnaire were organized in groups and divided into five categories. The findings showed the most common problems of the majority of students, teachers and supervisors. 29 The five most common problems from the teachers' point of view were: (a) passing the final exam is more important to the students than learning the language, (b) most students do not encourage each other to speak in English, (c) the school does not have enough English teachers to make the load of classes about right, (d) most students hate English, and (e) the students' weaknesses in English are due to the examination system (Jan 1984). The five most common problems from the supervisors' point of view were: (a) most English teachers do not use the slide projector regularly, (b) most students hate English, (c) there are not enough hours devoted to English during the week, (d) most students do not encourage each other to speak English, and (e) the students do not get encouragement from parents and society to learn English (Jan, 1984). The study also showed that the supervisors were more satisfied and more enthusiastic about the new English course Saudi Arabian Schools English (SASE) than were the teachers. Further, there was a lack of motivation and interest among students and the English teachers needfi better preparation. Jan's (1984) study recommended that an orientation be provided to the new non-Saudi teachers before they come to Saudi Arabia on the methods and techniques of SASE. The 30 Ministry of Information, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, might run lesson programs on T.V. in real classroom situations and the MOE is advised to train some of the best teachers in Britain or the United States to be English supervisors. AL-Itirgy (1983) conducted a study on the role of‘ supervision in the Makkah Zone in developing the English curriculum in Saudi Arabia. The study included theoreti- cal research and field research. In the theoretical research, the meaning of supervision and its relation to development of the curriculum, the development of supervision in Saudi Arabia, the objectives and the kinds of supervision, the people who are supervising, the role of the supervisor, the principal and the teacher, the meaning of evaluation and its aspects, and the meaning of development were discussed. In the field research, three questionnaires were distributed to the supervisors, the principals of the intermediate and secondary schools, and all the English teachers in Makkah Zone. 'The study indicated that the supervisors agreed that the objectives of the old curriculum were suitable, but the new ones had been little changed: the cooperation between the curriculum center in the MOE was lacking, and the supervisors were not satisfied; not all the supervisors or the principals were asked to share their opinions in 31 evaluating the old curriculum: and the centralization of designing the curriculum were problems. AL-Itirgy's (1983) study also indicated that the teachers never participated in the new curriculum, even though they had big roles in implementing it. They only reported their opinions to the principals or they kept their opinions to themselves and never discussed them. The study recommended that all supervisors, principals, and teachers share their opinions before improving or developing the curriculum. Other factors needed are the cooperation among teachers, supervisors, and administrators; periodic meetings: and an in-service program for teachers. A study by Sheshesha (1982) on the qualifications of a competent teacher of English in Saudi Arabia, as perceived by successful EFL teachers and selected Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) specialists, showed that there is a definite group of elements related to the field of EFL education upon which the perception of success of EFL teachers largely depends. These elements were considered highly valuable in the judgement of the teachers as well as the specialists. An EFL teacher-training program in Saudi Arabia must first of all provide for these requirements. The program should be made up of a group of core subjects 32 which should be regarded as essential for all students in training for EFL teaching. Sheshesha's (1982) study recommended that the program provide courses designed for students to improve skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing English. The program should place great emphasis on teaching methodology which covers a variety of teaching methods and techniques and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The study also listed some of the following issues: 14 What is the best administrative organization covering both pre-service and in-service training for EFL teaching? 2. To what degree are EFL teacher-training programs involved in the development and improvement of the English curriculum in the Saudi Arabian public schools and in providing educational leadership to help the schools solve their problems? (Sheshesha, 1982, p. 129) English Instruction in Other Countries Some researchers are progressing in other Arab countries concerning TESL, and its strengths and weaknesses. Because the systems of those countries are similar to what is in Saudi Arabia, the researcher has turned to them. 33 Oman The English language teaching in Sultanate of Oman has been under study since 1978. The English Teaching Information Center in London (1978) has released a profile concerning this subject. This profile, in outline form of the English language teaching situation in the Sultanate of Oman, examines the role of English in society and in the educational system. The predominance of English as the most important foreign language is noted, and its status as a compulsory subject in elementary and secondary school is discussed. The composition and qualifications of the teaching cadre are treated as well as instructional materials, English outside the educational system, British support for the teaching of English, and American involvement since 1973 with the Peace Corps. A general statement on the strengths and weaknesses of the system concludes the profile. The study (English Training Information Center in London, 1978) showed that the main strength of BLT is the increasing recognition at all levels of society of the importance of English for development and for communication, many of the teachers are non-trained or poorly trained or were trained so long ago that their methods belong to a different era, teacher training facilities are inadequate, and in all the systems it seems 34 to be more important that the teacher finishes the textbook than that the pupils master what is in it. Em; English as a Foreign Langauge in the Arab Republic of Egypt has been under study since 1983. The English Language and Literature Division in London (1983) has released a profile concerning this subject. As in the profile for Oman, this profile of the English language teaching situation in Egypt also examines the role of English in society and in the educational system. The status of English as the main foreign langauge and as the medium of instruction in a small number of influential schools is discussed as well as the extent and content of the university English course. Also discussed are the need for English teachers, the materials used in the schools, and the key posts in the administrative structure that are significantly involved in the English langauge teaching. A concluding statement on the main weaknesses of the present situation completes the profile. The main weaknesses include: (a) many "specialist” teachers are not, in fact, specialists: faculties of education are not sufficiently practical: (b) a shortage of teachers means very large classes; (c) the best students go into medicine and engineering; and (d) the poorest students 35 go into arts education and commerce. Consequently, English in Education is held in low esteem. 1139 English of a Foreign Language in Iraq has been under study since 1979. English Language and Literature Division in London (1979) has released a profile concerning this subject. British and American support for English instruction in Iraq, and the status of English literature are reported. English is taught as a second language from fifth grade through secondary school and is the language of instruction in technical subjects at the university level. The major weaknesses of English instruction in Iraq are the poor training of primary level teachers and the limited availability of British and American publications. A Brief Overview of the English Curriculum of Saudi Arabian Schools WWW English is a required subject at the age of 12-13 on entering intermediate school. Within the state system, there is no teaching of English at the elementary level. There is no lack of will to do so, but a shortage of teachers and other considerations make it impractical at present., A small number of private schools operate in the country, and most of them introduce English at the 36 elementary level and even at kindergarten level. The syllabus in these schools has to be approved by the Ministry of Education, with English being studied for six years (three years in the intermediate level and three years in the secondary level). museum Throughout both the intermediate and the secondary school system, in both state and private education, the syllabus for English language is set and controlled centrally through the supervisors of the Ministry of Education. This applies even to the choice of supplementary materials and to the weight to be given, in terms of teaching hours, to the various parts of the syllabus. There is no regional institutional or minority group variation; the textbooks were compiled and are periodically revised by the English language section of the supervisors, and are printed and distributed by the Ministry. WW It has been a requirement that all English teachers entering full-time employment in the school system have degrees in English (not necessarily TESL); most in fact do, but a small number of those employed are not graduates. Not all teachers of English teach English only: there are 37 some who have mixed subjects or additional administration jobs. W The universities of Makkah, Madeena, Riyadh, Jeddah and Abha produce a steady stream of English graduates often of a high standard, but many of them find their way into non-teaching careers. If funds for postgraduate ELT training on a wide scale were available, it is by no means certain that graduates would wish to spend the extra year in training, until or unless this became a statutory requirement for all teachers in all subjects, or strong salary or other inducements could be offered. WW Since the Ministry of Education produces and prints all textbooks of English for schools, there is generally no shortage of supplies. Teachers rarely stray beyond the strict confines of the syllabus, nor are they expected to. Any diversity in materials derives from variety built into the syllabus. This consists in fact of occasional reading passages featured in the textbooks, and some obligatory supplementary readers. Good teaching techniques and skillful manipulation of the material could do much to offset the lack of free choice, but it is fair to say that many teachers do not have the training or the flair to 38 achieve this. The decision to provide small sets of supplementary English readers for each school has not yet been made. Choice of texts will remain in the hands of the Ministry. W The school teachers of English are generally equipped with a few wall charts and flash cards and a few enthusiastic teachers have built their own. No English teaching films are available. Very few schools have a tape or cassette recorder, and consequently, there has been no local attempt to produce materials. Few schools are equipped with English Language Labs. Summary Chapter Two has presented a review of literature pertinent to the teaching of English in Saudi Arabia. Included in the review were a definition of curriculum and curriculum development, a discussion of curriculum development in Saudi Arabia, a survey of relevant studies of a similar nature, and a brief description of the present status of the English language curriculum in the secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. Chapter Three will present the methodology for the study. CHAPTER III HETHODOLOGY The main purpose of this study was to determine the present status of implementation of the English curriculum in Saudi Arabian Secondary Schools, and to identify the extent to which the English curriculum is meeting the needs of the secondary school student as perceived by the supervisors and teachers. Research Questions The specific questions investigated were: 1. What is the Opinion of teachers and supervisors about: a) materials and curriculum equipment: b) methodology and philosophy of teaching; 0) their own abilities: linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural; d) capabilities, interests, and motivations of students: and, e) supervision, administration, and the scheduling of teaching? 2. To what extent do teachers and supervisors agree about the English curriculum used in Saudi secondary schools? 3. On what recommendations do teachers and supervisors differ? 39 40 4. What overall similarities and differences appear in the opinions of teachers and supervisors? 5. What recommendations for the improvement of English curriculum are suggested? 6. What is the quality of textbooks and other materials of the secondary school English programs in Saudi Arabia? Rationale for Selecting the Population The presence in Saudi Arabia of both Saudi and non- Saudi English supervisors and teachers provided the opportunity to compare their different experiences and backgrounds. Looking at our experience through the eyes of others provided a balance in the assessment of our own viewpoint. This study was limited to the secondary English supervisors and teachers in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia. Conditions there were assumed to be similar to those in other parts of the country. The researcher felt that it was necessary to conduct the investigation with all SaudiWL4g) and non-Saudi (77)_ supervisors and teachers who were, at the time of the study, working in the selected schools. These supervisors and teachers had already taught the English language texts called Saudi Arabian Schools' English (SASE), and were 41 thought to have a complete knowledge of the syllabus through personal experience. Surveying the English language supervisors' and teachers' perceptions of the English language curriculum in the secondary schools of Saudi Arabia required the development of a specific questionnaire that could deal with most of the needs of revising such a program. Development of the Questionnaire For the purpose of collecting data for this study, the researcher developed a questionnaire to obtain the attitude and perceptions of English language teachers and supervisors. W The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part had statements dealing with the following five categories: 1. The materials, curriculum and equipment . Methodology and philosophy of teaching Abilities (linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural) Student capabilities U1 15 w N o Supervision, administration, and scheduling of teaching1 1In categories 2. and 4., and beside the five scaled options, the respondents were asked to circle the answer that best described their feelings. 42 Each of the five areas had statements requiring a response on a five point scale of strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree and strongly disagree. There were also questions to determine the importance of the four English skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Respondents were also asked to rate the overall quality of laboratory facilities, textbooks, and syllabus; to describe when students begin learning English; and to describe which of the four skills students are weakest at or most able in. Part II of the questionnaire was for personal data. The supervisors and teachers were asked to respond to questions on their age, nationality, degrees held, major, teaching experience, teaching load per week, responsi- bilities, what years of English they teach, how they felt about the size of their classes, whether or not they have an English laboratory in their school, whether or not they enjoy teaching, what type of visual aids they use, whether they have studied at a foreign university or not, if they have traveled to English speaking countries, whether or not they have attended workshops on English curriculum, if they would like to take more English courses, and whether they read professional journals or not. Interviews were also conducted with a randomly selected group of 15 percent of the English supervisors and teachers at the secondary school level to help evaluate the 43 accuracy of this study and as an extension to it. The questionnaire was accompanied by a letter that explained the nature, purpose, and importance of the study. It also encouraged the subjects to be frank in their responses. A sample of the questionnaire and letter are in the Appendix A and Appendix D, respectively. W Mosher & Kalton (1972) defined validity by saying that, '. . . it is the ability of the survey instrument to measure what it sets out to measure" (p. 356). They added that, "The assessment of content validity is essentially a matter of judgement; the judgement may be made by the surveyor or, better, by a team of judges engaged for the purpose" (p. 356). The validity of the questionnaire and interview were enhanced by the following steps: 1. Consulting with members of the researcher's doctoral committee for review and critique. 2. Seeking advice from the director of the English Language Center at MSU who has been an instructor of TESOL. 3. Testing the subjects' understanding of the questionnaire items through a pilot study. 44 Using the previous procedures, the questionnaire was approved by the dissertation committee to collect the necessary data for the research. Reliabilituuhuusstionnairs Determination of the reliability of the questionnaire was a matter to be considered in doing this study. Reliability refers to consistency, to obtaining the same results again . .. . . The degree of reliability (consistency) sets limits to the degree of validity possible: validity cannot rise above a certain point if the measure is inconsistent to some degree. On the other hand, if we find that a measure has excellent validity, then it must also be reliable. (Oppenheim, 1966, p. 69-70) To test the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's Alpha, a statistical approach to determine the reliability of a survey instrument, was used. Table 3.1 shows the Alpha Cronbach reliability coefficients for the questionnaire. Table 3.1 Wm Questionnaire Alpha Cronbach W W 136 0.66 45 This means that there was a modest level of consistency in the supervisors' and teachers' responses to the questionnaire items. Thus, it was concluded that the research questionnaire had an acceptable level of reliability for the purposes of the research. Data Collection The following steps were followed in the process of collecting the necessary data: 1. Obtain and study the relevant official (Saudi) publications and documents found at the Ministry of Education in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and at the Saudi Arabian Educational Mission in the United States. 2. Study relevant research on the English foreign language curriculum. 3. Describe the present status of English language curriculum in Saudi secondary schools. 4. Conduct the study through questionnaires and interviews. For the purposes of this study, the researcher developed the questionnaires for supervisors and teachers of English. The sampling technique is further described below. The researcher contacted the Ministry of Education in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to get permission and to get letters 46 for all of the principals and administrators requesting help, services, and distribution of the questionnaires. This was done by contacting the Administration of Education in each city. They were contacted, and the letters were given to the researcher. The researcher personally visited all of the secondary schools in Makkah, Madeena, Jeddah, and Taif. Three suburban areas were also invited. Two of them are related to Taif Zone and they are called Al-Hada and Al-aneiah. The third one is related to Makkah Zone and is called Al-Jomoom. The secondary English teachers in these schools were contacted. The Administration of Education in each city was also visited and all of the secondary English supervisors were contacted.. The questionnaire for both supervisors and teachers was then administered by the researcher himself. The completed answers were collected the next day. Interviews with randomly selected teachers were conducted during the break, at the end of the school day, and at their homes. The above procedure was repeated in each Administration of Education and school in each of the cities and the suburban areas. The whole process was completed by late May, 1985. By that date, 135 responses from the teachers and nine responses from supervisors. This sample represented 94% of 47 the teachers in the target schools and 100% of the supervisors. Eight responses from the teachers were eliminated because they did not complete the questionnaire. Summary This chapter contained a discussion of the methodology used for this study. Chapter IV will include a statistical analysis of the questionnaire, and a discussion of the results of the questionnaires. CHAPTER IV DATA ANAETSIS The supervisors' and teachers' responses to the distributed questionnaire were analyzed to determine their opinions in regard to each survey statement. This chapter, in general, reports on the following issues: 1. ‘What is the opinion of teachers and supervisors about: a) materials and curriculum equipment; b) methodology and philosophy of teaching; c) abilities (linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural): d) capabilities, interests, and motivations of students; and, e) supervision, administration, and the scheduling of teaching? 2. To what extent do teachers and supervisors agree about the English curriculum used in Saudi secondary schools? 3. On what recommendations do teachers and supervisors differ? 4. What overall similarities and differences appear in the opinions of teachers and supervisors? 48 49 5. What recommendations for the improvement of English curriculum are suggested? 6. What is the quality of textbooks and other materials of the secondary school English programs in Saudi Arabia? Perceptions of Supervisors and Teachers Across the Five Areas of the Questionnaire This section presents an analysis of the perceptions of supervisors and teachers to the five topical areas of the questionnaire (Part I, A-E). Each category reflects items related to one of the factors that may determine the present status of implementation of the English curriculum in Saudi Arabian Secondary Schools (see Appendix B), and to identify the extent to which the English curriculum is meeting the needs of secondary school students. Table 4.1 describes the means and standard deviations of responses to each item on the questionnaire. Responses are recorded on a five-point Likert scale, where: 1 = strongly agree; 2 = agree; 3 = undecided; 4 = disagree; and, 5 = strongly agree. Therefore, the reader can apply the following general guides (p. 56) when interpreting means 0 50 Table 4.1 15. language classes do not provide A 2.052 1.050 M opportmity for cawersation skills. 17. Teaching requires too such A 2.052 1.088 preparation. 2. There is a relatimship between A 2.169 1.037 facilities and develqment. 10. There is not enough time to cover A 2.311 1.301 all lessms. 4. Six years is not emugh time for A 2.456 1.382 students to master English skills. 18. Teachers nust couplete the A 2.485 1.276 W, H curriculum by the end of the year. 7. The degree of difficmlty is A 2.500 1.011 appropriate. 5. Haterials of the textbooks in all A 2.515 0.981 N levels are correlated. 1. Facilities are inadequate in your A 2.522 1.115 N, P school. 14. Good teaching requires a lot of A 2.604 1.239 N, 91' student mrizatim. 3. The textbooks have a logical and A 2.640 1.086 A, N developlmtal organizatim. 20. Textbooks natch the goals and A 2.705 1.069 wjectives of the English program. 19. There are enough instructimal A 2.743 1.095 mterials provided. 'mspmses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale where 1 - straagly agree and 5 - strangly disagree. ”m: Significant differences in respome patterns (alpha - 05) by . . . A - Age (less than 31, 31-35, 36-40, 41-45, more than 45) N - Natimality (Saudi, Non-Saudi) H - Major (English, English and Education Diploue, English and Education P - An In-Service Program (Participant, Non-Participant) ST- Supervisors vs. TVeaChers 51 Table 4.1 Cont'd. 12. Instructional materials give 0 2.779 1.127 P quortunities for natural use of the language. 16. The program is better suited for 0 2.830 1.130 sttflents who will cmtime their studies. 11. The materials mrage nemoriza— 0 2.866 1.116 A, ST tim of rules. 13. Instructimal materials allow for 0 2.978 1.112 the balanced development of all four skills. 8. The stories in the textbooks are 0 2.978 1.243 A boring. 6. There are not enough practice D 3.578 1.116 N exercises in the textbooks. 9. Pictures and Illustratims are not D 3.799 0.964 suitable. 11. WW 4. Lab and visual aids should be SA 1.566 0.900 widely used. 11. To learn a secmd language, we SA 1.669 0.817 P must begin at a young age. 12. me rust not mly teach subject SA 1.816 0.809 A matter, but deal with needs. 3. There is insufficiait time to SA 1.860 1.055 N practice the lavage. 8. Listming and speaking should be A 2.059 1.127 taught before reading and writing. 1'Respmses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale where l . strmgly agree and S - strangly disagree. "m: Significant differences in respome patterns (alpha - 05) by . . . A - Age N - Natimality u - Major P - An In-Service Program SP- Supervisors vs. Teachers 52 M19 4.1 Calt'd. Item Agree or .3:- Im , n 14. A limited (pportunity is provided A to choose learning activities. ll.Acwracyisinportantatallstages. A 5. Arabic language interferes with A learning. 7.1camotteachalanguagewithwt A teachingwlture. 13. Teachers do not provide cmsistent U instructim. 6. Studexu lose interest when using 0 the taped lessons. 1. Teaching methods are more cancerned D with mrizatim than understanding. 9.1.anguagelabisnotnecessaryin D eecmdaryschools. 2. Reading md writing are more D important at all stages. 2.066 2.235 2.493 2.632 2.858 2.993 3.470 3.610 3 .757 m.WnWW 11. I feel canfortable speaking with SA and listening to native speakers of English. 9.1feelhamytobeanmglish SA teacher. 8. Sale teachers are not adequately A prepared to teach. 7.mewouldbenefit frrmatwo-nuxth A in-service training program. 1.522 1.765 2.132 2.147 0.952 1.194 1.081 1 .166 0.967 1.125 1.161 1.149 1 .164 0.620 0.819 0 .957 0 .939 ampopulatig N, ST N A, N, 81' A, N, I! N, 14 A, 91' P * mspames strangly disagree. were recorded a: a 5-point Likert scale where l - strmgly agree and 5 - ”m: Significant differences in response patterns (alptn -.05) by . . . A - Ase N . Nationality H - major P - An In-Service Program 91‘- aipervisors vs. Teachers 53 M13 4.1 Cmt'd. Ital: Agree or Stmdard Mafia .8): - 4m D 10. If I could choose my career over A 2.147 1.202 N again, I would choose tobe an Englishteacher. 6. I feel very calpetent in teaching A 2.184 0.845 N (supervising) my students (teachers) in the four languge skills. 3. Parents do not support the English A 2.257 1.135 A Program. 2. 'me teachers' professimal opinims 0 3.029 1.115 are highly valued by the society. 1. mglish teachers have low social 0 3.142 1.227 status and prestige. 4. I rely heavily a: the teacher's 0 3.185 1.094 A, 81‘ book when plaming instructim. 5. I do not understand the cultures of 0 3.706 0.912 81' ptee who speak mglish. IV. WW 3. Stuients cannot learn in the aunt A 2.044 0.797 A of time available. 10. Average student should be able to A 2.103 0.880 A read English. 12. Studmts have been inadequately A 2.169 0.931 prepared in lower levels. 9. Exam system does not encourage A 2.230 1.203 studems to learn mglish. *mspmses were recorded «:1 a 5-point Likert scale where l - strcngly agree and 5 - strmgly disagree. ”m: significant differences in response patterns (1|pr -.05) by . - - A ' Age 8 I Natialslity a I mjor P - An In-Service Program 81‘- Supervisors vs. Teachers Table 4.1 Cont'd. 5. 4. 3. oiltural material has a positive effect on learning the language. learningthelmguageismore inportantthanpassingexam. The stnxlents do not feel the curriculum meets their needs and interests. Students are not encouraged to learn mglish at hone. Stidents are not interested in learning English. Pupils are pleasant in the classroom. Stu‘lents do not behave well for English teachers. Stndents read other types of books in English outside of class. The students are best in reading. There is a need for more English classes per week. Teachers should be asked for evaluation. 1 have no voice in the curriculum policy-making process. 2.412 2.412 2.478 2.507 2.566 2.816 1.978 0.977 1.468 1 .003 1.205 1 .133 1.069 1.118 1 .294 0.980 0.957 0.828 0.815 H,P *msponses were recorded an a 5-point Likert scale where l I strongly agree and 5 I strangly disagree. ‘ “m: Significant differences in respanse patterns (alptu - 05) by . . . A I Age N I Nationality H I Major P I An In-Service Program SP- Supervisors vs. Teachers 55 Me 4.1 Cmt'd. 6. Fatigue fron the job prevents A 2.125 0.969 effective teaching. 2. I have no voice in the instruction- A 2.141 0.916 a1 decision-making process. 15. Give qaportimity to rake A 2.176 0.893 mggestios. 16. Class size is too large to allow A 2.244 1.143 N for individnal practice. 9. The tead'ner is required to A 2.515 1.047 participate in too my extra auricular activities. 13. Sons supervisors are not adequately A 2.588 1.092 a preparedtotellmehowtoteach. 10. aipervisors rake too many dansnds. A 2.640 1.045 ST 4. The teacher has the right to select 0 2.860 1.272 his own instructional materials. 11. alpervisors give aderpate 0 2.911 1.088 81' assistance to the teachers. 1. I have enough released tire to U 2.949 1.131 irprove myself as a teacher. 7. The school schedule is rigid. 0 3.022 1.119 8. There are clear rewards for D 3.368 1.042 professional growth. 12. (upon-unifies for teachers to gain D 3.478 1.174 W further training are adeqnate. 5. There is enough time daring the D 3.838 1.020 school day to prepare lessons and materials. *msponseswere recordedonaS-pointukert scalewherelIstronglyagreeandSI strongly disagree. “m: Significant differences in response patterns (8113113 '.05) by - . . A - Ase N I Nationality n I Mjor P I An In-Service Program 91‘- anpervisors vs. Teachers 56 mammalian W between 1.0 and 2.0 “strongly agree" between 2.0 and 2.75 'agree' between 2.75 and 3.25 "undecided/neither agree nor disagree" between 3.25 and 4.0 "disagree" between 4.0 and 5.0 "strongly disagree" The questionnaire items within each of the five general categories are rank ordered from lowest to highest by mean value. Section I of Table 4.1, for example, shows the rank ordering of the twenty items focusing on selected characteristics of materials and curriculum equipment. The 20 statements are ordered from those with which respondents were most likely to agree to those with which they were most likely to disagree. The interpretation guidelines listed above indicate that respondents typically agreed with the first thirteen statements in the list: neither consistently agreed nor disagreed with the next five items; and disagreed with the other two items in this set. Looking across all of the items described in Table 4.1, respondents were likely to strongly agree with nine of the 75 items on the questionnaire: to agree with 39 statements: to neither consistently agree nor disagree with 16 items: and to disagree with 11 statements. 57 Across all items, the standard deviations ranged from 0.620 for responses to the statement, 'I feel comfortable speaking with and listening to native speakers of English" to 1.468 for the statement, “Learning the language is more important than passing exams." The standard deviations for 61 of the 75 statements were between 0.90 and 1.30. The final five columns in Table 4.1 provide an overview of the results of Chi-square tests of differences in patterns of responding to each statement as a function of the respondent's age (less than 31, 31-35, 36-40, 41-45, or more than 45); nationality (Saudi or Non-Saudi); major field of study (English, English and Education Diploma, or English and Education); participation in an in-service program (yes or no); and, occupational role (supervisor or teacher). Only those tests that were statistically significant (with the probability of a Type I error fixed at .05) are noted in these columns. Looking at the results described in Section I, for example, indicates that patterns of responding to statement 18, "teachers must complete the curriculum by the end of the year," varied significantly among participants of different nationalities and different major fields of study. Wham: Table 4.2 summarizes statistically significant differences in response patterns (alpha I .05) as a 58 function of age, where age is defined in terms of five categories--less than 31, 31-35, 36-40, 451-45, and more than 45 years of age. Respondents of different ages varied in their responses to only eleven of the 75 items on the questionnaire. One of these statements focused on the organization of textbooks. As the data described in Table 4.2 indicate, the 23 participants who were less than 31 years of age were less likely than their older colleagues to agree that their “textbooks have a logical and developmental organization." The pattern of differences across age groups varied from one statement to the next, these differences are all displayed in Table 4.2. W W 'Table 4.3 summarizes statistically significant differences in response patterns (alpha = .05) as a function of nationality, where nationality is defined in terms of two categories--Saudi and non-Saudi. Respondents of different nationalities varied in their responses for only 17 of the 75 items on the questionnaire. One of these state- ments focused on the facilities in the school. As the data described in Table 4.3 indicate, the 54 Saudis were more likely than the 81 non-Saudis to agree that “facilities are Table 4.2 W * WWW < 31 31-35 36-40 41-45 > 45 5mm «xx-231 «WW The textbooks have a A 34.8% 62.5% 74.1% 62.5% 75.0% logical and develop- U 30.4 12.5 11.1 0.0 0.0 mental organization. D 34.8 25.0 14.8 37.5 25.0 26.60 The stories in the A 34.7 33.3 29.6 31.3 75.0 textbooks are boring. U 13.0 16.7 18.5 0.0 0.0 D 52.2 50.0 51.9 68.8 25.0 34.63 The mterials encourage A 34.7 56.3 48.1 62.6 45.0 remorization of rules. U 30.4 8.3 11.1 6.3 5.0 D 34.8 35.4 40.7 31.3 50.0 29.64 Reading and writing are A 47.8 10.5 0.0 25.1 35.0 mre inportant at all U 4.3 6.3 3.7 0.0 10.0 stages. D 47.8 83.3 96.3 75.0 55.0 37.33 Students lose interest A 52.2 43.7 40.7 37.6 45.0 when using the taped U 17.4 16.7 7.4 0.0 5.0 lessons. D 30.4 39.6 51.9 62.5 50.0 30.92 One must not only teach A 73.9 93.8 100.0 93.8 95.0 snbject matter, but U 13.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 deal with needs. D 13.0 6.3 0.0 6.3 5.0 31.90 Thachers do not provide A 60.8 43.8 29.6 12.5 65.0 consistent instruction 0 26.1 25.0 33.3 37.5 10.0 D 13.0 31.3 37.0 50.1 25.0 25.79 Parents do not support A 60.8 68.8 70.3 75.0 80.0 the English program. U 17.4 8.3 11.1 6.3 5.0 D 21.7 22.9 18.5 18.8 15.0 29.99 I rely heavily on the A 43.5 29.2 44.4 56.3 30.0 teacher's book when U 17.4 2.1 14.8 12.5 10.0 planning instruction. D 39.1 68.7 40.7 31.3 60.0 25.62 Students cannot learn A 65.2 91.7 88.9 93.8 95.0 in the amonnnt of time U 8.7 0.0 7.4 0.0 0.0 available. D 26.1 8.3 3.7 6.3 5.0 26.67 Average student should A 87.0 77.1 88.9 100.0 95.0 be able to read English. U 8.7 0.0 3.7 0.0 0.0 D 4.3 22.9 7.4 0.0 5.0 26.46 mtg: Entries are percents. alpha 3 .05. Legend: A - Agree U I Undecided D I Disagrees 60 Table 4.3 Stamf- learning. taped lessons. Saudi Non-Saudi Jn-jgl (main x2 Facilities are inadequate in school. A 74.1% 59.2% U 14.8 4.9 D 11.2 35.8 12.49 The textbooks lave a logical and A 53.7 66.6 developmental organization. U 18.5 7.4 D 27.8 25.9 9.65 Materials of the textbooks in all A 51.9 74.0 levels are correlated. U 18.5 7.4 D 29.6 18.5 10.59 There are not enough practice A 29.6 21.0 exercises in the textbooks. U 9.3 3.7 D 61.1 75.3 12.72 Good teaching requires a lot of A 44.4 67.9 student menorization. U 18.5 7.4 D 37.1 24.7 11.76 Teachers mist conplete the A 46.3 76.5 wrriculum by the end of the year. U 11.1 3.7 D 42.6 19.7 17.90 Teaching methods are more concerned A 25.9 25.9 with memorization than understanding. U 16 .7 9.9 D 57.4 64.2 10.17 There is insufficient time to A 92.6 82.7 practice the language. U 1.9 3.7 D 5.6 13.5 15.46 Arabic language interferes with A 64.9 62.9 U 9.3 11.1 D 25.9 26.0 9.61 Students lose interest when using A 42.6 44.4 U 18.5 6.2 D 38.9 49.4 10.81 *ugte, Entries are percents. alpha g .05. Legend: A = Agree U I Undecided D I Disagree 61 Table 4.3 Cont'd. --.. -. - q- W instruction. English teacher . classes per week . Saudi Non-Saudi in=5in 1n=811 4L Accuracy is inportant at all stages. A 61.1 74.1 U 13.0 4.9 D 26.0 21.0 15.86 Teachers do not provide consistent A 53 . 8 37 .0 U 29.6 23.5 D 16.7 39.5 10.92 I feel very conpetent in teaching A 70.4 81.5 (supervising) my students (teachers) U 7.4 13.6 in the four language skills. D 22.2 4.9 18.55 If I could choose my career over A 64.8 80.3 again, I would choose to be an U 16.7 1.2 D 18.6 18.5 18.44 (pportunities for teachers to gain A 25.9 24.7 further training are adequate. U 16.7 7.4 D 57.4 67 .9 11.87 Class size is too large to allow A 83.3 69.2 for individual practice. U 5.6 1.2 D 11.1 29.6 10.41 There is a need for more English A 79.7 90.1 U 9.3 1.2 D 11.2 8.7 11.97 m: Entries are percents. alpha 3 .05. mend: A = Agree U I Undecided D I Disagree 62 inadequate in the school." The pattern of differences across nationality groups varied from one statement to the next, these differences are all displayed in Table 4.2. Wain: Table 4.4 summarizes statistically significant differences in response patterns (alpha I .05) as a function of major, where major is defined in terms of three categories--English, English and Education Diploma, and English and Education. Respondents of different majors varied in their responses to only 6 of the 75 items on the questionnaire. One of these statements focused on the students' interests when using the taped lessons. As the data described in Table 4.4 indicate, the 54 participants whose major were English and Education were more likely to agree that their “students lose interest when using the taped lessons." The pattern of differences across major groups varied from one statement to the next, these differences are all displayed in Table 4.4. 63 Table 4.4 English and English and English Ed. Diploma Education W mean m=3n men 1:2 Language classes do not A 83.4% 77.5% 74.1% provide opportunity for D 10.4 0.0 9.3 conversational skills. D 6.3 22.6 16.7 19.05 Teachers nust couplets the A 81.3 61.0 53.7 curriculum by the end of U 0.0 16.0 7.4 the year. D 18.8 22.6 38.9 16.51 Teaching methods are more A 31.2 25.8 20.3 concerned with menorization U 14.6 19.4 5.6 than understanding. D 54.1 54.8 72.2 15.16 Students lose interest when A 39.6 29.0 55.6 using the taped lessons. U 10.4 19.4 7.4 D 50.0 51.6 37.1 17.13 Students are not encouraged A 60.4 61.3 66.6 to learn English at home. U 10.4 32.3 5.6 D 29.2 6.5 27.8 17.21 Sole supervisors are not A 62.5 51.6 53.7 adequately prepared to tell U 14.6 12.9 18.5 me how to teach. D 22.9 35.5 27.8 16.19 E. Entries are percents . alpha 5 .05. Legend: A = Agree U I undecided D I Disagree WWW Table 4.5 summarizes statistically significant differences in response patterns (alpha 5 .05) as a function of participation in an in-service program, where it is defined in terms of two categories--participants and non-participants. Respondents of participation in an in- service pmogram varied in their responses to only six of the 75 items on the questionnaire. One of these statements focused on the training program. As the data described in Table 4.5 indicate, the 54 participants who participated in an in-service program were more likely than their colleagues who did not participate in an in-service program to agree that "One would benefit from a two-month in- service training program." The pattern of differences across in-service training program groups varied from one statement to the next, these differences are all displayed in Table 4.5. Similarities and Differences in Responses Among Supervisors and Teachers Tables 4.6 and 4.7 summarize the results of t-tests of differences in responses to each item as a function of occupational role--supervisors and teachers. Table 4.7 describes response patterns that were not significantly different. 65 Table 4.5 Statement the language. Non- Participants Participants inn-=54) m=31n 42 Facilities are inadequate in school. A 53.8% 61.9% U 9.6 8.5 D 36.5 19.5 11.08 Instructional naterials give A 65.4 48.8 opportunities for natural use of U 3.8 15.9 D 30.8 35.3 9.31 To learn a second language, one met A 94.3 87.8 begin at a yomg age. U 3.8 4.9 D 1.9 7.3 10.49 One would benefit from a two—month A 86.5 68.3 in-service training program. U 7.7 15.9 D 5.7 15.8 11.01 Students read other types of books A 23.1 30.5 in English outside of class. U 5.8 17.1 D 71.2 52.4 9.90 Students are not encouraged to A 75.0 56.1 learn English at hone. U 1.9 20.7 D 23.1 23.1 10.31 *ngtg: Entries are percents. alpha 3 .05. Legend: A = Agree U I undecided D I Disagree Table 4.6 ' ’ ' C e a - o . 66 31123291- Good teaching reqnires a lot of student memorization. The materials encourage memorization of rules. Reading and writing are more inportant at all stages. Teachers do not provide consistent instruction . Accuracy is inportant at all stages. I rely heavily on the teacher's book when planning instruction. 1 do not understand the cultures of people who speak English. Pupils are pleasant in the classroom. Supervisors make too many demands. Supervisors give adequate assistance to teachers. as: i-JUJ ’3le F302 n-Ion F30) F30) F302 u-aon rim 3 .777 2. 800 3.555 2.536 2.111 2.912 4.555 3 .700 3.666 2.133 2.125 3.252 3 .000 3 .755 3.555 2.763 3.666 2.566 1.888 3.047 Standard t 1.093 2.59 1.092 1.236 2.43 1.215 0.782 “2.44 0.959 0.726 2.16 1.171 0.707 3.91 1.157 0e354 -2090 1.091 0.707 -2045 0.906 0.882 2.18 1.065 1.000 3.15 1.013 0.333 -3019 1.083 132 132 132 134 134 134 134 134 134 134 * 891:9. legend alpha 5 .05. S I Supervisor T I Teacher 67 Table 4.7 Lenterialandmmmimmt Language classes do not provide opportunity for conversation skills. Teaching requires too much preparation. There is not enough time to cover all lessons. Six years is not enough time for students to master English skills. Teachers must complete the curriculum by the end of the year. Facilities are inadequate in your school. Good teaching requires a lot of student memorization. The program is better suited for students who will continue their studies. The materials encourage uemoriza- tion of rules. The stories in the textbooks are boring. N e w e e OUU‘I oncnno 0" e 0‘ WU" Uta-‘91 on 79.2 16.0 80.9 15.9 71.4 26.1 62.2 33.9 30.7 68 Table 4.7 Cont'd. Instructional materials allow for the balanced development of all four skills. There are enough instructional materials provided. Textbooks match the goals and objectives of the English program. Instructional materials give Opportunities for natural use of the language. The textbooks have a logical and developmental organization. Materials of the textbooks in all levels are correlated. The degree of difficulty is appropriate. There are not enough practice exercises in the textbooks. Pictures and Illustrations are not suitable. There is a relationship between facilities and development. was :2 C O O O onus: 8.5.5 on e e O‘U'O U‘ NU! HQO UWO‘ H O hU‘l nhU" O O hbd‘ N N3 is O C hNQ \l \l “0‘ e N \IN wwan U I won)“ N O \INU‘ \DQO U'lmN e o 3? “\IN co NM £91001 0‘ C 100.0 2.78 69 Table 4.7 Cont'd. 11. WW To learn a second language, one must begin at a young age. There is in sufficient time to practice the language . Listening and speaking should be taught before reading and writing. A limited opportunity is provided to choose learning activities. I cannot teach a language without teaching culture . Students lose interest when using the taped lessons. Teaching methods are more concerned with memorization than understanding. Arabic language interferes with learning. Language lab is not necessary in secondary schools. One must not only teach subject matter, but deal with needs. 100.0 2.78 100.0 2.87 88.9 n...- H O p..- OOH O H U'l-b O U'IOI-l NQH 0901b 0001” MOO O Hank e e e e e HmN 0°C U H U'IN C e e w “H O O sun-o an ‘3 e e Mom \I m m e ‘0 H58 0! e e e 00‘1” 8 N 70 Table 4.7 Cont'd. Lab and visual aids should be widely used. III. Abilitisuumuisiisi Wren Some teachers are not adequately prepared to teach. Parents do not support the English Program. The teachers' professional opinions are highly valued by the society. English teachers have low social status and prestige . I feel very cornpetent in teaching (supervising) my students (teachers) in the four language skills. If I could choose my career over again, I would choose to be an English teacher. I feel happy to be an English teacher. I feel comfortable speaking with and listening to native speakers of English. 100.0 3.42 100.0 73.2 12.6 21.2 71 Table 4.7 Cont'd. lien N.WW Wits). Students cannot learn in the amount of time available. Students have been inadequately prepared in lower levels . Exam system does not encourage students to learn English. The students do not feel the curriculum meets their needs and interests. Students read other types of books in English outside of class. Students are not encouraged to learn English at hone. Students are not interested in learning English. Pupils are pleasant in the classroom. Students do not behave well for English teachers. aw 100.0 84.6 _ 10.2 1.38 44.4 74.8 — 10e3 10.97 77.8 70.7 22.2 23.0 6.28 44.4 61.4 11.1 23.6 6.31 11.1 29.3 77.8 58.7 3.53 88.9 61.4 11.1 24.4 4.81 66.7 64.6 22.2 29.1 2.38 11.1 53.5 55.5 29.1 6.09 22.2 35.4 77.8 55.1 3.55 72 Table 4.7 Cont'd. Item W The students are best in reading. A 33.3 20.5 D 55.5 66.1 x2 2.29 Learning the language is more A 44.4 66.2 inportant than passing exam. D 44.4 30.7 2 x 3.40 Cultural material has a positive A 55.5 69.0 effect on learning the language. D 44.4 18.3 2 x 6.35 Average student should be able to A 88.9 85. 8 read English. D — 12.6 x2 6.35 V. W W There is a need for more English A 66.6 87.4 classes per week. D 22.2 8.7 x2 5.42 I have no voice in the curriculum A 88.9 82.6 policy-making process. D 11.1 7.1 x2 1.36 Fatigue from the job prevents A 77.7 77.9 effective teaching. D 11.1 15.0 x2 0.71 I have no voice in the instruction- A 66 .6 77.7 a1 decision-making process. D 33.3 22.2 2 x 5.16 There is enough time during the A - 17.5 school day to prepare lessons and D 88.9 77.8 materials. x2 3.92 73 Table 4.7 Cmt'd. Itan Class size is too large to allow for individual practice. The teacher is required to participate in too many extra- curricular activities. Qaportmities for teachers to gain _ further training are adequate. Some supervisors are not adeqaately prepared to tell me how to teach. There are clear rewards for professional growth. The school schedule is rigid. I have enough released time to inprove myself as a teacher. 'Ihe teacher has the right to select his own instructional materials. Give opportunity to make suggestions. Teachers should be asked for evaluatim. 1.39 aSunerxiaors_____meachers__. 62.5 76.4 37.5 21.2 2.41 66.6 69.3 33.3 25.2 3.76 33.3 25.2 55.5 63.8 8.55 33.3 59.1 33.3 26.7 4.17 33.3 59.1 55.6 53.2 0.12 44.4 46.5 33.3 38.6 1.73 55.5 48.5 44.4 43.6 1.84 55.5 55.4 44.4 37.8 1.21 66.6 82.7 22.2 11.8 2.96 100.0 86.6 - 7.9 74 ;- .....-,.; H: .. A. . .- :. - ;.. -; .- - n - -. As shown in Table 4.6, the two occupational groups differed in their responses to only 10 of the 75 items on the questionnaire. Teachers were more likely than supervisors to agree that: (a) good teaching requires a lot of student memorization, (b) the materials and encourage memorization, (c) supervisors make too many demands, and (d) supervisors give adequate assistance to teachers. On the other hand, supervisors were more likely than teachers to agree that: (a) reading and uniting are more important at all stages, (b) accuracy is important at all stages, (c) I rely heavily on the teacher's book when planning instruction, and (d) pupils are pfleasant in the classroom. ;- .....-...; u; .. .1. . _.- ':. - ..._ -. .- - -.- afllfifié Table 4.7 describes supervisor and teacher responses to statements that were not significantly different. As the contrast between data described in Tables 4.6 and 4.7 indicate, supervisors and teachers were more likely to be similar than dissimilar in their responses to the 75 statements listed on the questionnaire. However, this conclusion is somewhat tempered by the fact that the relatively small sample of supervisors (n = 9) limited the power of the statistical tests of differences (i.e., reduced 75 the likelihood of rejecting the null hypothesis, when there were real differences between the two groups). W In addition to the 75 statements assessing respondent's attitudes across five categories, participants were asked to respond to a small set of multiple choice questions. Three of these questions focused on important dimensions of English language instruction. They were: 1. If you had your choice when would students begin learning English? (1) Fourth Grade (3) Secondary School (2) Intermediate School (4) College Level 2. Which of the following skills do you think is most important for students to learn? (1) Listening (3) Writing (2) Reading (4) Speaking 3. Which of the following do you think is least important? (1) Listening (3) Reading (2) Writing (4) Speaking Table 4.8 describes the results of Chi-square tests of difference in supervisors' and teachers' patterns of responding to these three questions. As these data indicate, none of these differences were statistically significant (alpha = .05). 76 Table 4.8 Wain Wish}. Luel SW Fourth Grade 66.7% 77.0% Intermediate School 33.3 21.4 Secondary School -- 1.6 College Level -- -- WWW fQLstudentuLlearnz Listening 66.7% 32.8% Reading 66.7 23.2 Writing 44.4 16.0 Speaking 77.8 69.6 “1' 1 I'll J l I l l W2. Listening 40.0% 25.2% Writing 60.0 46.8 Reading 20.0 28.8 Speaking -- 6.3 Note: Entries are percents. *Because respondents could mark more than one response, the column does not total 100%. 77 Table 4.9 summarizes ratings of the overall quality of laboratory facilities, textbooks, and syllabi. Table 4.9 WW5 Instructional Very W W 1. Lab Facilities 17.1% 14.7% 20.9% 16.3% 31.0% 2. Textbooks 15.3% 30.5% 29.8% 18.3% 6.1% 3. Syllabus 9.2% 23.8% 33.1% 27.7% 6.2% The data in Table 4.9 show that nearly all of the respondents rated the lab facilities as 'fair" or "poor.“ Other more positive ratings may indicate that some schools have labs which are usable, and also that some schools have labs that are not used. It can also be noted from the table that a clear majority (76%) rated their books as "good" to “excellent.“ Most (66%) also rated their syllabus as being I'good" to “excellent”. Table 4.10 summarizes responses to questions focusing on areas of student strengths and weaknesses: 1. In which of the following areas are the students the weakest? 1. Reading English 3. Listening to English 2. Writing English 4. Speaking English 2. In which areas are the students most able? 1. Reading English 3. Listening to English 2. Writing English 4. Speaking English 78 Table 4.10 W Percent of the following who rated each of the following as: A.Ar.eaa_QLStndent_Eeakne§§ SL111 Speaking English 63.7% Writing English 36.3% Reading English 23.7% Listening to English 7.4% 8.8reas_Qf_s.tud.en.t_Str.ens.th Skill Listening to English 41.0% Reading English 32.8% Writing English 27.6% Speaking English 12.7% Table 4.10 indicates that the respondents were more likely to say that students were weak in speaking than in writing, reading or listening (in that order). It can also be noted from this table whereas respondents were most likely to say that listening was an area of strength, reading ranked second in frequency. Interview Results Two supervisors and twenty teachers were interviewed to give added meaning to the questionnaire. Fourteen questions were presented to the supervisors and teachers to achieve the interview objectives, and all supervisors and teachers were 79 asked the same questions. A checklist procedure was used during the interview to provide for accurate recording of data. 'The questions and responses given by both the supervisors and teachers are reported. The following responses reflect the substance of all statements given by supervisors and teachers. The number of individuals given these statements is indicated for each item. Qng5119n_1: Are Facilities Adequate? W The Ministry of Education (MOE) has centers for some teaching materials at each district but they are rarely used. (2) W 1. There is a general shortage of ELT materials in schools: very few have cassette recorders. (17) 2. Tapes and films are little used except in some schools. (16) W: Do you think that students can master the language skills in the six years that are available? Winona They cannot but to some extent they can. (1) W 1. At the present time they cannot, because four periods per week are not enough. (19) 80 They cannot because of the environment outside the class or the school. (16) They cannot because most of the students are not interested. (11) W: What is your opinion of the textbooks: the illustrations, the stories, and the exercises? W The illustrations and the exercises are good as they are variables and they help the students understand the lessons. (2) W 1. Some stories are very old and do not go with the real life. (12) 2. There are some contradictions among some stories, especially those which are related to the life on the other planets. (13) 3. Some historical parts are mentioned, but not clear and they are also diversified. (6) 4. 'The exercises at the end of each lesson are variable and contain the four skills. (8) 5. Exercises should be reduced. (9) 6. Audio-visual means of teaching should be used for illustration. (ll) 7. Some passages are boring and make the lesson dull and dead. The textbooks are poorly planned. (5) 81 Qng5319n_1: Are the materials difficult? WW 1. The materials are not difficult and they are put in good order. (1) 2. Materials should be handy and acceptable and fully exploited. (l) W l. The materials are gradually put into difficult ones and the repetition of the words and the exercises help the students remember the lessons. (14) 2. There should be a printed copy book for homework and classwork. (8) 3. Some of the materials in the textbooks are quite dull and do not motivate the students. (7) 4. The syllabus should meet the needs of the students. (18) 5. The syllabus has to be suited for students who will continue their studies after the secondary stage. (13) Questign_§: Which skill or skills do you think should most be emphasized and why? - W The students should be given every possible chance to master the four skills and they must be given the chance to 82 talk, to discuss the language, and to practice so that they may inculcate in themselves conversation fluency and special ability. (2) W 1. Speech should be given more time. (16) 2. Students should be trained in how to Speak the language correctly. (15) 3. More emphasis should be given to the spoken language. (16) 4. Students should have more periods in order to cover all parts of the learning of English. (20) 5. Students must practice all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). (20) 6. The syllabus should have "speaking" as its main target. (11) 7. Teaching the English language requires many skills. (19) W: Do you feel a language lab would be/is very useful? WW 1. Visual aids are very important. (2) 2. Video recording films are of great value. (1) W 1. English labs are badly needed. (4) 2. The language lab should be widely used. (16) 83 Laboratories are not sufficient. (13) Not only a language lab is useful, but also tape recorders and video tapes. (8) Every school should be provided with language lab. (12) Qng3119n_1: Should the culture of English speaking peoples be strongly emphasized? W No answer. (2) W 1. The syllabus should be based lightly on Islamic culture. (8) Textbooks should provide parts of the cultural background of the target language (parts that do not conflict with our traditions). (6) It would be more beneficent to study linguistics across cultures, so as to have a full under- standing of the investigated or taught language. (8) Teachers should be given the chance to know the culture of the people whose language they are teaching. (9) Questign_fi: Do you feel your job is rewarding and that you get support from students, school, parents, and community? 84 W To some extent it is rewarding, but not from all. (2) WW It is not rewarding, not because of our jobs, but because the problems are that not all teachers and students are interested, schools are following old systems, parents do not cooperate and the community lacks the media which present the role of the school and the teacher. (20) W: Do you feel you are well prepared to teach/ supervise English? W 1. Proper training should be given to teachers. (2) 2. Teachers are to be persuaded to increase their teaching knowledge background. (1) 3. Arab teachers of English language should be directed to know more about contrastive linguistics and areas of conflict between Arabic and English. (1) W 1. Teachers should be provided with refresher courses. (l4) 2. Supervisors need experience in teaching, especially the new courses or books. (12) 3. In teaching English, we need a good qualified teacher. Students are not too bad. They like 85 English. Most of them try to imitate their teachers. So, if the teacher has the ability to speak good English and pronounce the words correctly, the students will not find any difficulty in studying English. Students need encouragement. (9) Teachers should often attend English workshops and conferences in order to be informed about the latest information in teaching methods. (16) Qngstign_ln: Do students really want to study English? WW 1. The students do not follow-up or review their lessons at home and then come back to sit for another period with a mind that is like a blank sheet of paper. (2) The student is always inattentive to the explanation of the teacher who is always telling the separate items of the language which are too often not related to his environmental experiences. (1) The student usually comes to school without even having gotten any information background about English-~the language he is going to learn. (2) Parents do not follow-up on their sons after a day's schooling. (2) 86 5. Some students are nearly non-linguistic. They do not feel the importance of learning English for life, from the start, nor even do they feel that language serves different purposes. (l) W 1. We should ask first what the students' attitudes are. (14) 2. We do not know if the students like English in order to pass the exam or to understand the language. (12) Questign_ll: How effective is supervision in improving the English curriculum? WW 1. Supervision work should be more active. (1) 2. Facilities should be provided to supervisors. (2) 3. Intensive supervision visits to schools. (2) 4. Supervision is of importance to put the teacher on the right way. (1) 5. If the supervisors pave the way for the teacher and advise him not to be rigid or authoritarian, he will feel the importance of making the text work meaningful and successful even if the set book is a little bossy and says to the teacher, do this, cover that and ask this. (1) 87 6. Through their experiences and reports but they do not have the chance to share. (1) WW 1. A supervisor should be more of an example to follow than of a fault-finder. (17) 2. Supervision should be given through real guidance (i.e. giving model lessons). (10) 3. More visits to schools are needed by supervisors. (9) 4. Supervisors should have frank discussions with teachers about the syllabus. (12) 5. Supervision must keep up with the latest and best ways of teaching methods. (9) 6. Supervisors should treat teachers of English as brothers, and not like policemen who want to find fault with them. (15) 7. Supervision is much better if practiced at school by a senior master. (9) 8. A supervisor is supposed to be a man of experience so that he will be able to direct the teachers to the best ways of handling a lesson. (7) 9. If the supervisors have good experiences, they can help to some extent. (7) 88 Qngfigign_1z: How do you rate opportunities for professional improvement by special courses, released time, etc.? WW 1. Visual aids are very important. (2) 2. Video recording films are of great value. (1) 3. Interest and excitement are completely missing in the schools. (1) 4. Scheduling 24 classes a week is a pain. (2) 5. The syllabus should be revised. (1) 6. Choosing a good and skilled teacher of good experience helps teaching the language perfectly. (2) 7. There should be refreshing courses for teachers. (2) 8. More time should be devoted to English language. (2) 9. Daily preparation should be based on the teacher's books, with special attention to solving the daily problems seen in each class. (1) 10. Give the syllabus a strong support by providing more free reading material from the school library. (1) 89 W 4. 5. More attention should be given to aural-oral approach as language is mainly speech. (13) The number of students per class should not be more than 25. (12) There should not be less than six periods per week for English. (18) Pupils need more time for practice. (17) Old and experienced teachers should be consulted before any change as they understand the country and the students and their problems. (11) Teachers should be provided with refresher courses from time to time. (16) Teaching the English language should be at an early age. (18) Parents have to do their best to help their sons. (12) Give the teacher a chance to organize his work by himself and not to force him to do such a work. (12) Questign_11: How much freedom do you think teachers should have in planning their syllabus and teaching? W 1. Better selection of the intake for Saudi Arabian faculties of education. (1) 90 1A member of the English Department may be taken as a consultant for missions that select expatriate teachers. (1) The teacher is the mirror of his work, and should get his certificate as a good type from what he presents to his students. (1) Irrespective of the different roles, the teacher's role is always the center of the picture. No educational or teaching reforms would take place without his efforts and trials either to improve the material at hand, or the linguistic behavior of the student. (2) The teacher has to innovate his old traditional ways and styles of teaching. He is to create rather than attack and blame students for mistakes. (1) In spite of the usefulness of media, we cannot deny the teacher's role as the best aid. It is said that "a human being can do more than what a machine can do." (1) W Teachers must be free in using different ways of teaching. (14) The range of authority and control for the teachers on students are not sufficient. (13) E 91 3. Is it enough, for someone to be a good teacher, to get a certificate in teaching and be ignored after that? (9) 4. Is the MOE willing to do something for the present textbook? If yes, are they ready to accept the teachers' opinions? a) By cooperation between teachers, principals, and supervisors. b) By giving the teachers a hand in setting the syllabus. (l4) 5. The MOE must hire only those experts who have a full understanding and feeling of the Saudi culture and value system, so that the change can be more realistic. (9) Do you have other comments or suggestions you have not already given or written on the questionnaire? WW 1. The need for cooperation between the principals and supervisors. (1) 2. The system used for examinations. (2) W 1. Translation and its advantages. (6) 2. The relationship between teachers and supervisors. (14) 92 3. The policy of supervision. (12) 4. The policy of grades for passing the exams. The students only need to answer a small percent of the questions correctly to pass the exams. (16) 5. The problem of exam itself. (16) Supplementary Data Some of the data collected for this study were not included in the statistical analysis. The following is a summary of three sources. The first was collected from the open-ended questions attached to the questionnaire. The second was handed to the researcher in a paper written by some supervisors at Directorate General of Educational Supervision and Training, English Section, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The third was also handed to the researcher in a report written by the English Teachers of Al-Faisal Secondary School in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Those resources are considered to be a background to some of the conclusions based on the research data. The first resource, the open-ended question attached to the questionnaire was: What are your general recommendations for improvement in each of the following areas--teaching the English language, supervision, materials, preparation, syllabus, and scheduling? The following recommendations are described concerning each area. 93 W 2. 10. 11. Teaching the English language depends on the will of both teachers and learners. Teaching English should be a hobby before being a job. Teaching the English language needs many skills. The teaching process should be vivid and enjoyable. Teaching the English language should be in English, not in Arabic. Teaching the English language requires high qualifications. Teaching the English language should start at an early age. Teaching the English language must meet the needs of the students. Teaching English should be practical. The acquiring of a foreign language should be connected with the philosophy of education in general. Teaching English is an interesting subject, so teachers are to be taught how they can apply and develop their English. Teaching the English language should be taught in special rooms which have most of the different 94 materials such as labs, pictures, video tapes, etc. 12. Teaching the English langauge needs teachers who should be prepared in Britain or the United States to allow them to understand the culture of the native speakers. We do not want our teachers to be good at what is called “Bookish English". 8mm 1. It should not deal with dry facts: it must be something practical and reasonable. 2. It should be active and profitable, not mere supervision. 3. It is very important. 4. If the supervisors have good experiences, they can help teachers. 5. It helps to some extent especially if the supervisor is well-known for his wide scope and long experience. 6. Supervisors should help junior teachers by giving model lessons before them. 7. Supervisors should have frank discussions with teachers. 8. It should be directed to the guidance and the solving of methodology problems. 95 9. A supervisor's opinions are refutable. They are by no means sacred statements which are beyond dispute or argument. 10. Supervision is needed but not inspection. 1. They should match the students' ages and levels. 2. They should be suitable and interesting. 3. Materials of every kind should be available. 4. They should be provided for all teachers to help them explain their lessons properly. 5. They are very important for teaching the English language. 6. They should be given greater attention by both the MOE and teachers. 7. They should be well selected. 8. They should be handy, acceptable and fully exploited. 9. They should be renewable and updated. 10. They should be provided to all schools. 11. They are very necessary. Won 1. It should submit to scientific rules. 3. 4. 5. 96 It should be daily and carefully done. It should cover all the important points in the unit. It makes a ready teacher. It must include all the main points. The teacher's handbook is a fairly good guide for preparation. It should be given much care but too much preparation is not required. Both teachers and students should prepare well. Unless a teacher prepares, he will not be able to deliver a proper lesson. It is not copying the teaching methods from the guidebook. It is of great importance. It should be detailed, up-to-date and of correlation to the teacher's book. It should be suitable to be covered in the scholastic year. It must contain at least a long story, some translation, and poetry. It should be left to the teachers to some extent. There should be more than one syllabus in use. It has to be suited for students who will continue their studies after the secondary stage. 97 6. It lays such a heavy stress on grammar. 7. It should depend on everyday language and exercises should be reduced. 8. It must be interesting with variety. 9. More proverbs should be added to the syllabus. 10. It should meet the needs of the students. 11. We will have a very good syllabus for students if it is done by the teachers themselves. 12. It should have speaking "as its main target." 13. The objectives should be clear. 14. Teachers must participate in finding out the proper syllabus. 15. Conversations should be based on real situations, and give the students the opportunity to speak and express themselves. 16. It should fulfill the four skills to be learned. 52113511111113 1. More time should be devoted to the English language. 2. It should be reliable. 3. The number of periods given to every class should be increased. 4. Time is necessary in teaching a foreign language, so the four periods a week are not enough. 5. Students need more time for practice. 98 6. The number of students per class should not be more than 25. 7. Time is always pressing. The students usually lag behind for lack of proper revision and practice. This is because the students are studying from 11 to 16 other subjects. That is quite a burden, isn't it? In the second source (Ministry of Education), “A Research Essay On: Learning and Teaching English, the Reasons of the Pupils' Weaknesses and Some Solutions,” the following data were observed concerning the circumstances and the situations in Saudi Arabia. 1. The only benefit which the pupil gets is mostly restricted to what is included in the set book. 2. The teacher does not allow pupils to communicate well or teach one another. 3. Pupils are overly exam oriented and so they want to learn the rule involved and not English for life. 4. Teachers will fall into many pitfalls as they usually concentrate upon one aspect of the syllabus only excluding the other useful aspects. 5. Also, teachers try to avoid the student's mistakes which results in spoon feeding. 99 The result will also be the use of formal grammar forms teaching and not content teaching by a teacher who usually says, "Now dear pupils, don't forget to add '8' with the “He, She, It" to the verb. The paper concluded with the following suggestions: 1. Teachers are to guide and help pupils feel the importance of learning English. 1 Teachers are to stick to the following motto, "Language is a means of communication and can be practiced and applied in natural or semi-natural situations with the teacher's help." Teachers are to change their teaching pace and follow different approaches and concentrate upon competence, skills and notational functional methods. Teachers are to teach meaningfully and not through intellectualizing. Teachers are to bear in mind that they are not teaching angels but humans who are likely to err. Teachers are to take into consideration that language teaching is not telling. The teacher himself must try to improve his knowledge background and techniques. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 100 The Ministry and the zone can arrange courses for the novices to know how to deal with intensive courses. Training teachers in modern aids of teaching will make them more effective. Reducing the unnecessary details of the books' material and increasing the number of examples will be beneficial to both the pupil and the teacher. Parents can be convinced through meetings and symposiums of not to overwork their sons by helping them in the shops and to follow them up at home. Directors in the schools are to supervise carrying out non-graded activities because of their actual uses. Encouraging students to join clubs and summer centers where communicative and conversational English is practiced. Supervisors are to be allowed more opportunities to follow up schools, especially in the villages. BMW The third source was written by the English teachers of AL-Faisal Secondary School in Taif as they have been required by the principal of the school to meet at the 101 beginning of the school year and discuss all the points that relate to their subjects and share their opinions and give their suggestions. The following comments have been written concerning the third year book: 1. Each unit in lesson 1 includes the vocabulary and comprehension sections, while in the first and second year book, the vocabulary and comprehension sections have a separate lesson, which is lesson 2. In Units 2 and 3 we find a lot of grammatical exercises related to nearly all that the students have taken in the previous years. All units have very difficult exercises for students to understand concerning joining sentences, and in many different forms. No time at all is given to students for reading practice or the listening practice items since they are very difficult, very long and sometimes irrelevant to the topic itself. Sometimes you find more concentration on one type of exercise in a whole unit, though this type is not as important or useful for the students and at the same time it is difficult to grasp. Some exercises do not create any interest for the students to share in the discussion. 102 7. The most difficult topics and the longest ones are put at the end of the syllabus in both terms. Win 1. There is more than one subject to deal with in each unit. Sometimes, there are four subjects in one lesson. 2. Many subjects are quite irrelevant to the topics of the book. 3. Students know nothing about writing letters and dialogue. They are surprised when their teachers ask them to write a letter or a dialogue. 4. The third year teachers have no time at all to train the students to learn such skills. Their timetable is already overloaded. Summary Chapter IV has presented the analysis of data. First, the categorical perceptions of supervisors and teachers to the five areas of the questionnaire were presented. Differences in response patterns as a function of the age, nationality, major, in-service, and differences between supervisors and teachers were presented, followed by areas of difference between supervisors and teachers. Finally, responses to the personal interviews were presented. Chapter V will present the conclusions, and recommendations. Que CHAPTBR‘V SUMMARY, FINDINGS, IMPLICAIIONS AND REGGHHBNDBIIONS This study was conducted for the purpose of surveying the English language supervisors' and teachers' perceptions of the English language curriculum in the secondary schools of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire with a Likert five-point scale was developed for this purpose by the researcher. The researcher personally visited all of the secondary schools in Makkah, Madeena, Jeddah, and Taif and administered the questionnaire for both supervisors and teachers. The size of the sample was nine supervisors and 127 teachers. The completed questionnaires of the supervisors and the teachers were tabulated and reported for each one of five categories representing different aspects of the ESL program. Then, the means of the five categories were compared with each other and finally, responses to the personal interviews and supplementary data were presented. The responses to this questionnaire represent each participant's own attitudes and perceptions. Research Questions This study was guided by the following research questions: 103 104 What is the opinion of the teachers and supervisors about: a) materials and curriculum equipment: b) methodology and philosophy of teaching: c) their (nun abilities (linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural); d) capabilities, interests, and motivations of students: and, e) supervision, administration, and the scheduling of teaching? To what extent do teachers and supervisors agree about the English curriculum used in Saudi secondary schools? On what recommendations do teachers and supervisors differ? What overall similarities and differences appear in the opinions of teachers and supervisors? What are suggested recommendations for the improvement of the English curriculum? What is the quality of textbooks and other materials of the secondary school English programs in Saudi Arabia? 105 Discussion of Major Findings A discussion of the major findings is presented in the following paragraphs. In general, the discussion includes the major findings concerning: 1. The supervisors' and teachers' opinions about: materials, methodology, philosophy of teaching, abilities, capabilities, interests, motivation of students, supervision, administration, and the scheduling of teaching: and 2. Supervisors' and teachers' responses to the open- ended questions. In summarizing the items that the supervisors and teachers strongly agreed with, nine items were strongly agreed with for the “English Language Curriculum" in the secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. The nine items were related to: (a) the stage for learning a second language, (b) the time provided to practice the language, (c) the need for more English classes per week, (d) the curriculum policy-making process, (e) the evaluation questions given to English teachers every year to give feedback and suggestions for the improvement of the program, (f) a need for greater use of lab and visual aids, (g) dealing with needs as well as subject matter, (h) the respondent's happiness to be an English teachers, and (i) the 106 respondent's comfort to speak with and listen to native English speakers. The nine items were expected to be strongly agreed with. This is because there is a common factor of time among the first three items (a,b,c). The respondents recommended fourth grade as the stage for beginning English, which means more time is needed for learning the language in the schools. The second item, which is related to the need for more time to practice while learning the language, brought out the need for practice time to increase the quality of learning. The third item suggested that four classes per week were not enough. The respondents felt that more classes per week are needed to learn the language. The fourth and fifth items (d,e) which are related to the policy-making process and the evaluation questions given to English teachers to give feedback and suggestions, were also expected to be strongly agreed with by the respondents because they are controversial issues in designing a program. In designing a program, it is not enough to ask some educators to participate, and to ignore the opinions of others. Not only educators, but supervisors, teachers, principals, parents and even students should be allowed to participate and share their opinions, comments, and suggestions. The factors mentioned 107 in‘Chapter Two must be taken into consideration in planning and improving programs for the future. The sixth and seventh items (f,g), which are related to the great need for wide use of lab and visual aids and dealing with needs as well as subject matter, were also strongly agreed with by the respondents because lab and visual aids are some of the students' needs in learning the language beside the subjects. The eighth and ninth items (h,i), which are related to the respondents' happiness to be an English teacher and the respondents' comfort to speak with and listen to native speakers of English, are considered to be important in learning so we guarantee that we have one of the important factors concerning teaching which is the teacher. If the teachers are happy and feel comfortable and content with their jobs, we will have some positive effects on students' learning. Conclusions The purpose of this study was to determine the present status of implementation of English curriculum in Saudi Arabia secondary schools as perceived by the supervisors and teachers, and to identify the extent to which the English curriculum is meeting the needs of the secondary school students. 108 The major findings of this study revealed that supervisors and teachers at Saudi Arabian Secondary Schools in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia typically had similar perceptions of teaching, learning, and curriculum needs. In addition, the major findings of the study revealed that supervisors and teachers agreed on the effect of many factors stated in the questionnaire as precluding students from benefitting from the learning of English in both the intermediate and secondary stages; moreover, helpful feedback was derived from responses to the open-ended questions and the personal data. Respondents gave valuable comments on the current status of teaching and learning English in the secondary schools of Saudi Arabia and the present program available at the schools at the time of the study, other factors that may preclude all supervisors, teachers and students from benefitting from the English program, and factors that may help all groups for better improvement. Based on the perceptions of the supervisors and teachers through the questionnaire and the interviews, the following conclusions can be derived from the study: 1. The present textbooks were thought of as good to meet the Saudi students' needs. They are yet to be revised for more improvement. 3. 10. 109 The stories in the textbooks should be revised as some of them are not realistic or diversified. The majority of teachers are ill-equipped to teach English. They need to take advanced courses. The heavy burden of an unrealistic syllabus must be revised. The policy of supervision should be revised to better meet the needs of the teacher and the learner, and not only to look for their faults. Four periods per week are not enough time for learning English. Attempts are rarely made to relate the study of English to the actual needs of the learner. The teacher is often armed with a textbook, pushed into the class and ordered to teach without any orientation or training for the task. Students should start learning at an early stage. Fourth grade is recommended to be the starting time. The outmoded system of exams which tests memory rather than control of language and makes it possible for students to pass English without having learned the language needs to be changed. que 0n 110 Recommendations The following recommendations are based on the review of related research, the supplementary data, and the interview questionswl' The most important recommendations are the need for: (a) more classes per week, (d) in-service programs for both supervisors and teachers, (c) a voice in policy making decisions and (d) the syllabus to be revised and improved, even though it is good. According to the study findings, improvement in the English language curriculum can be achieved by manipulating the components that have caused the current situation in the teaching of English in the Secondary Schools in Saudi Arabia. These components, according to the study findings are: (a) the Ministry of Education Authorities, (b) the supervisors, and (c) the teachers. Accordingly, the researcher formulated recommendations that are important to improve the teaching of English at the secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. Recommendations are stated separately for each of the aforementioned components. 1The interview questions were taken from the questionnaire and were used to validate the responses given on the questionnaire. 111 WW 1. 2. Ministry authorities should. . . . Increase their commitment to supporting the English language programs in each district because that commitment is very important for the program's success. Establish in-service training programs for both supervisors and teachers. The reasons for that are to provide new insights to them, and to help new teachers or supervisors gain some insight into their positions. Ask all supervisors and teachers for evaluation, suggestions, and comments as a feedback for developing, improving, and solving all the important points that may help the educators or the students. State the objectives of teaching English according to the new syllabus. Choose only teachers who are specialists in TESOL and have interviews with them before they assign them contracts to work in Saudi Arabia. Give consideration to the content of the textbooks and the number of periods per week. They may shorten the syllabus or increase the number of periods to six periods per week. Provide schools with English labs and personnel to maintain them. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 112 Provide schools with libraries and these libraries should be provided with all of the books that are needed by both the teachers and the students. Cooperate with the Ministry of Information to have an English teaching program offered on television and radio so that the students can increase their learning outside of the classroom. Give Saudi teachers the opportunity to continue their studies for higher degrees. Decrease the number of periods that teachers have from 24 periods to 20 periods. Set up a special department to receive and evaluate teacher suggestions about curriculum, textbooks, etc. This department should be responsible for making sure that all suggestions that are received are also responded to by the appropriate person within a reasonable period of time. Discuss and study the policy of the tests, the final exams and grades and try to reach new methods of testing and grading. Give teachers some authority in designing their courses, and also give them the chance to carry out their roles by giving them the freedom, so they do not worry about covering the material given to them by the MOE. 113 15. Provide more time for supervisors to do their work by assigning a smaller number of schools. MW Supervisors should . . . . 1. Be interested in and have a positive attitude toward supervision. 2. Have a good understanding of and a brotherhood relationship with the teachers. 3. Be willing to encourage teachers to benefit from the experiences they have. 1L. Hold meetings with teachers and be available to teachers if they need help. 5. Seek to understand both the teachers' and the students' needs and interests. 6. Be more cautious in criticizing the teachers or writing their reports as the teachers use different techniques in different classes according to their experiences for the different situations in each school. 7. Establish relationships with the teachers so that they can help teachers to achieve some understanding about supervision and this relationship must be established before they visit the teachers in their classes for observation. 114 Establish a supervision model concerning observing instruction and teachers should see that model so that they can discuss it together. Not demand too much, because what they do is only express their opinions. They should only suggest or comment, and then let the teachers do what they think is appropriate for their students. WW Teachers should . . . . Strive to have a positive attitude toward teaching. Strive to have positive attitudes toward their supervisors. Strive to have positive attitudes toward their students. Increase their teaching knowledge background. They should increase their readings and general culture so they can be true models and patterns for students who need modeling and guidance from an honest teacher who is supposed to be competent enough to demonstrate his lesson. Not ignore the useful techniques by which students can be motivated to use the language, and for this purpose they should try to be creative in devising and looking for different styles. They are to create rather than attack and blame students for mistakes. 115 6. Take into consideration that they are teaching humans who are likely to make mistakes and who need to be motivated to learn, and who must be rewarded for correct responses. Recommendations for Further Study The following recommendations for further study are based on data generated by the research: 1. During the interviews with principals, supervisors, and teachers factors other than those chosen for the study seemed to be influential in the students' learning of English. Since the researcher could not study all of the factors related to problems of teaching or learning English, additional study is needed. Factors revealed in the interviews as potentially influencing teaching or learning English include: (a) the present supervision system: (b) societal influence: and (c) students' interest in learning the English language. The research for this report focused on secondary school supervisors and teachers for boys. It would be a good idea to survey the secondary school supervisors and teachers for girls to make a comparison study of the influential factors on 116 teaching or learning English as a second language. Research similar to that which was reported here could be repeated using two groups of schools: one with the modern schools including some private schools, and the second with public schools including the schools which are away from the cities. This would highlight the common factors which have the major effects on teaching/learning English as a second language. APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE 117 Dear Supervisors and Teachers: 'I am a graduate student in the College of Education, IMichigan State University, U.S.A. At the moment I am collecting data on the secondary school English curriculum in Saudi Arabia. The data will be used in my dissertation. The enclosed questionnaire is designed to obtain your perceptions on the English program presently being taught in this country. The information collected will enable me to assess the current system and obtain ideas for improvement. As people who teach or supervise the English curriculum, you are the most important source for information. I, therefore, request your participation in this study. My estimation is that the task will take about 30 minutes of your precious time; for this I am most obliged. It is important that you respond to each of the items in the questionnaire in an open and honest manner. Your identity should remain unknown so please do not write your name on the questionnaire and return it directly to me in an unmarked envelope. The identity of your school will also remain a secret as the data will be analyzed on the basis of the total sample not by schools. Your participation is completely voluntary and there is no penalty for not participating and you are free to discontinue participating at any time. Completion of the questionnaire will indicate your voluntary participation in the study. Thank you for your cooperation. Sinerely, Talal Dhafar TD/ghd enclosure 118 ENGLISH SUPERVISORS' AND TEACHERS' QUESTIONNAIRE Please read each of the following statements and then circle the answer that best matches your feelings about the statement. There are no right or wrong answers, so please answer openly and honestly. There are two parts to the questionnaire. The first part contains five categories. The second part contains personal data. Example: The climate in Saudi Arabia is always pleasant and comfortable. SA A U D SD Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree As you answer each question you will notice that below each statement the codes Stream. Agree. Undecided. , and strongly_n;§agrgg as listed above. Please circle the code that best describes your feelings about each item, and continue until you have answered all of the questions. Part 1. W In my opinion . . . 1. Facilities are inadequate in my school(s). SA A U D SD 2. There is a relationship between the facilities in schools and student achievement. SA A U D SD 3. The textbooks have a logical and developmental organization. SA A U D SD 4. Six years is not enough time for all students to master the four language skills. SA A U D SD 5. The materials in one level of the textbook are correlated with materials in the textbook of other levels. SA A U D SD 6. There are not enough practice exercises in the textbooks. 7. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 119 There are not enough practice exercises in the textbooks. SA A U D SD The degree of difficulty in the textbooks is appropriate for the students. SA A U D SD The stories in the textbooks are boring. SA A U D SD The pictures and illustrations in the textbooks are not suitable and are not related to the subjects. SA A U D SD There is not enough time to cover all of the lessons I am expected to teach. SA A U D SD The materials encourage memorization of rules. SA A U D SD The instructional materials give opportunities for natural use of the language. SA A U D SD The instructional materials allow for the balanced development of the four skills. SA A U D SD Good teaching requires a lot of student memorization. SA A U D SD Most language classes do not provide enough opportunity for the development of conversation skills. SA A U D SD My program is better suited for those students who will continue their studies after secondary school. SA A U D SD 120 17. Teaching requires too much preparation. SA A U D SD 18. Teachers must complete the curriculum by the end of the year. SA A U D SD 19. There are enough instructional materials provided for use in the English Language Curriculum. SA A U D SD 20. The textbooks you are given match the goals and objectives of the teaching of English in the Saudi secondary schools. SA A U D SD W In my opinion . . . l. 2. 3. 5. Teaching methods are more concerned with memorization than with students' understanding of the subject matter. SA A U D SD It is more important for English language students to learn reading and writing, than listening and conversing. SA A U D SD There is insufficient time in the schedule to give students the opportunity to practice the language. SA A U D SD The language laboratory and visual aids should be widely used by students and teachers of English as a second language. SA A U D SD Teachers use of the Arabic language in class activities interferes with the learning of English. SA A U D SD 6. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 121 Students generally lose interest when using the taped lessons. SA A U D SD I cannot teach a language without teaching the culture. SA A U D SD Listening and speaking skills should be taught before reading and writing. SA A U D SD The language laboratory, if used in the intermediate schools, is no longer necessary in the secondary schools. SA A U D SD To learn a second language, one should begin the study at a young age. SA A U D SD It is important to insist on accuracy at all stages of learning a new language. SA A U D SD In providing educational preparation, one must not only teach the subject matter, one must also deal with the needs of students. SA A U D SD Teachers of English as a second language do not provide consistent instruction from one grade level to the next. SA A U D SD Students have a limited opportunity to choose learning activities they enjoy. SA A U D SD Now please circle the answer that best describes your feelings concerning the following statements. A) If you had your choice when would students begin learning English? 1- Fourth Grade 3- Secondary School 2- Intermediate School 4- College Level 122 B) Which of the following skills do you think is the most important for students to learn? 1- listening 3- writing 2- reading 4- speaking C) Which of the following skills do you think is least important? 1- listening 3- reading 2- writing 4- speaking D) How would you rate the overall quality of each of the following: Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor 1) laboratory facilities 1 2 3 4 5 2) textbooks l 2 3 4 5 3) syllabus l 2 3 4 5 C._Ahilit1es (linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural) In my opinion . . . 1. English teachers have low social status and prestige. SA A U D SD 2. The teachers' professional opinions are highly valued by the society. SA A U D SD 3. Parents do not support the English program. SA A U D SD 4. I rely heavily on the teacher's book when planning instruction. SA A U D SD 123 I do not understand the cultures of people who speak English. SA A U . D SD 6. I feel very competent in teaching (supervising) my students (teachers) in the four language skills. SA A U D SD 7. I feel I would benefit from a two month in-service training program. SA A U D SD 8. Some teachers are not adequately prepared to teach. SA A U D SD 9. I feel happy to be an English teacher. SA A U D SD 10. If I could choose my career over again, I would choose to be an English teacher. . SA A U D SD 11. I feel comfortable speaking with and listening to native speakers of English. SA A U D SD Q. Student Capabilities (interest and motivation) In my opinion . . . l. Pupils are not generally interested in learning the English language. SA A U D SD 2. Pupils are pleasant in the classroom. SA A U D SD 3. Most students cannot learn what they are expected to learn in the amount of time available. SA A U D SD 10. 11. 12. 13. 124 The students do not feel the curriculum meets their needs and interests. SA A U D SD Cultural material in the second language has a positive effect on student motivation to learn the language. SA A U D SD Students read other types of books in English outside of class. SA A U D SD Students are not encouraged to learn English at home. SA A U D SD Learning the language is more important for students than passing exams. SA A U D SD The present examination system does not encourage students to learn English. SA A U D SD An average secondary level student should be able to read anything in English with secondary level readability. SA A U D SD Students usually do not behave well enough for English teachers to teach the materials effectively. SA A U D SD The students' deficiencies in English in my classes relate to the deficiencies in English they brought from the previous level. SA A U D SD The students are best in reading. SA A U D SD 125 Now please circle the answer that best describes your feelings concerning the following statements. A) In which of the following areas are students the weakest? 1- Reading English 3- Listening to English 2- Writing English 4- Speaking English B) In which area are the students most able? 1- Reading English 3- Listening to English 2- Writing English 4- Speaking English -0‘ 899, 2.919 '_ a 01 5.90 5 9‘9 7° 0 ‘a 9° 0 In my opinion . . . 1. You have enough released time to improve yourself as a teacher. SA A U D SD 2. I have no voice in the instructional decision—making process. SA A U D SD 3. I have no voice in the curriculum policy-making process. SA A U D SD 4. The teacher has the right to select his own instructional materials. SA A U D SD 5. There is enough free time during the school day to prepare lessons and materials. SA A U D SD 6. Fatigue from the job prevents effective teaching. SA A U D SD 7. The school schedule should be rigid. SA A U D SD 8. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 126 There are clear rewards for professional growth. SA A U D SD The teacher is required to participate in too many extra- curricular activities. SA A U D SD Supervisors make too many demands. SA A U D SD Supervisors give adequate assistance to the teachers. SA A U D SD Opportunities for teachers to gain further training are adequate. SA A U D SD Some supervisors are not adequately prepared to tell me how to teach. SA A U D SD Teachers of English as a second language should be asked evaluation questions every year to give feedback and suggestions for the improvement of the program. SA A U D SD Students should be given an opportunity to make suggestions and give feedback every year. SA A U D SD Class size is too large to allow for individual practice. SA A U D SD There is a need for more English classes per week. SA A U D SD 127 W In your view, which of the following areas would lead to the greatest improvement? Teaching the English Preparation Language Supervision Syllabus Materials Scheduling What are your general recommendations for improvement in each of the above areas? What are some questions for further research? 128 pm II M Please fill in or check the appropriate blank for each of the following questions: 1. Your age: Under 25 41 - 45 25 - 30 ______ 46 - 50 _____ 31 - 35 _____ Over 50...... 36 - 40 _____ 2. Nationality: Saudi Non-Saudi 3. Degrees held: Associate Degree (2 year college) B.S. or B.A. M.S. or M.A. Ph.D. or Ed.D. Other Please Specify 4. Major: English English and Diploma in Education English and Education TESL or EFL Other Please Specify 5. Have you ever had an in-service program in English? Yes If Yes, please describe when and what: No If No, why? 6. Teaching Experience: Total years experience as a teacher Number of years as an English teacher Number of years as an English teacher in Saudi Arabia Number of years as an intermediate teacher Number of years as a secondary teacher NUmber of years in present position 7. What was the date of your last college course? 8. What is your teaching load per week: hours 9. Do you teach English only? Yes No If No, what else do you teach? 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 1st year 2nd year 3rd year a) much too large c) too small d) the right size 129 Do you do other work in the school besides teaching? Yes No How many hours? If yes: a) explain b) How many hours do you spend in these activities each week? What classes do you teach? 1st year 2nd year: Literary Sections 2nd year: Scientific Sections 3rd year: Literary Sections 3rd year: Scientific Sections Please check how you would classify your teaching load. Heavy About Right Light About how many students are in each of your current English classes? How do you feel about the typical size your English classes: b) too large Do you have an English laboratory in your school? Yes NO If yes, a) How long has the English laboratory been in operation? b) How would you evaluate your English laboratory? very good good fair Do you enjoy teaching English in a secondary school? YES NO 17. 18. 19. 20. If yes, where? Please briefly describe 130 What audio-visual aids besides the chalkboard do you use in teaching English? (check all that apply) a) video-tapes _____ b) tapes and records c) overhead projectors 6) movie films e) others (please list ) Have you had English language study at a foreign college or university? YES NO If yes, for how long? In what country? Have you travelled abroad where the English language is spoken? Yes No If yes, where? For how long? Have you attended a workshop focused on recent English language curriculum and teaching methods? YES NO 21. What is the attitude of your school toward your taking more 22. English courses in order to increase your competence? a) Encouragement, How? b) Discouragement, How? c) Indifference, Bow? d) Inability (lack of funds, etc.) Do you read professional journals or publications? YES NO 131 If yes, please list the journals and publications read. SUPERVISORS ONLY 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. Number of schools you have to visit per year: Number of visits you make to every school per year: Number of times you observe classes per year: Number of conference meetings with English teachers per year: Number of years as a supervisor: Do you encourage your English teachers? a) to obtain advanced preparation in English? YES NO b) to attend English workshops and conferences? YES NO 132 INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE EALLEI 1. 2. 3. 10. 11. 12. 13. Are facilities adequate? Do you think that students can master the four language skills in the six years that are available? What is your opinion of the textbooks: the illustrations, the stories, and the exercises? Are the materials too difficult? Which skill or skills do you think should most be emphasized and why? Do you feel a language lab would be/is very useful? Should the culture of English-speaking peoples be strongly emphasized? Do you feel your job is rewarding and that you get support from students, school, parents, and community? Do you feel you are well prepared to teach/supervise English? Do students really want to study English? How effective is supervision in improving the English curriculum? How do you rate opportunities for professional improvement by special courses, released time, etc.? How much freedom do you think teachers should have in planning their syllabus and teaching? Efl£t_ll Do you have other comments or suggestions you have not already given or written on the questionnaire? A P P E N D I X B THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CURRICULUH IN SAUDI SECONDAR! SCHOOLS 133 The Present Condition of the English Language Curriculum In Saudi Secondary Schools (Aims of the Course) W 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) To afford the secondary school pupil a window on the world. To give the secondary school pupil an experience of delight through reading samples of English that have a universal appeal both in arts and sciences. To cultivate the pupil's critical thinking as a useful adjunct to intelligent reading of English texts. To give play to the pupil's imagination by means of imagery in poetry and visualization of character. To provide the pupil who intends to join the university or other higher institutes with an adequate basis of English to help him in his future studies. To give the pupil who finishes his formal education in the third year of secondary education sufficient knowledge of the language to help him in his vocation. To help the pupil gain a reasonable command of English in order to be in a better position to defend Islam against adverse criticism and to participate in the dissemenation of Islamic culture. W 1) To help the pupil gain in three years a reasonable mastery of the four language skills, which are: a) Listening with understanding to spoken English. b) Speaking current English correctly with the proper stress and intonation. c) Reading with understanding English texts that vary in difficulty from adapted and simplified material to the original in an abridged form. d) Writing a connected passage of up to a full page on a subject of a descriptive or a discussive nature. 2) 3) 134 To stress the utilitarian point of view of learning a fbreign language as a useful tool for cultural as well as social and economic communication. To foster in the pupil an interest in reading so that later on he may be prepared to read reference books, periodicals, and pamphlets bearing on his future field of specialization. APPENDIX C (BJECTIVES OP SAUDI ARABIAN SCHOOLS' ENGLISH (SASE) 4. 5. 6. 135 OBJECTIVES OF SAUDI ARABIAN SCHOOLS' ENGLISH (SASE) INTERNEDIATE Often breaks paradigms (I am-Your are-He is) into : teaching a little at a time so that the pupil does not have too much to remember. Chooses the language taught on grounds of usefulness: enabling the pupil to express himself in English as early as possible. This is achieved through choosing: : Inter l and 2 include all these topics which are essential to simple communication in any language (the weather, age, nationality, colors, etc.) Interestingly, many of these are the verb £2.22- fsnssisns: Inter 2 and 3 teach simple formulae for the basic communication needs: suggesting, inviting, asking a favor, etc. Lessons are planned in three stages: Presentation - Practice - Application The application stage is essential if pupils are to be able to use what they have learnt, and apply it to many different contexts. Grammatical structures (especially verb tenses) are , and the pace at the beginning is slow. This enables Arab pupils a) to master unfamiliar concepts of time b) to develop basic reading and writing skills. Similar tenses are never taught close together, and are always QQELLB§££Qo Pupils will only be able to use the Present Simple correctly if its use has been contrasted with the use of the Present Continuous. The fem of a new tense is taught; then the tense is contrasted with any similar ones that have already been learnt. Verb tenses are taught according to meenisg as well as £91m. For example, the Present Perfect has five uses. Many courses teach one of these: then assume that the (pupil will understand all the others, simply because he knows W the Present Perfect. SASE teaches the five uses separately. 8. 10. 11. 12. 136 SASE provides a W of each grammar point taught, to ensure that the pupil gains a clear idea of when to use it. There is no meaningless repetition, SASE makes pupils use language messingjslly. Chorus work is used to teach rhythm, not as a means of learning grammar. The illsssgssiens challenge the pupils to speak. They do not simply decorate a text. SASE Inter. creates situations in which pupils gen;_ss spesk. It encourages them to do so through pair work, ‘group work, games, and, above all, by asking them to guess (pupils find out and give information). Compare the unnatural: Is it a book? - No, it isn't. with a communicative situation: T: I'm thinking about something in this room. Guess what it is. P: Is it a book? SASE encourages the teacher to gemesssgsse rather than explaining or simply reading aloud from a text. (very important) SASE is designed for she_§essi_pspil, a) It concerns his_esyi;enmess and does not ask him t come to terms with an alien culture. b) It takes into account the difficulties in coming to terms with nen_esneepss_sfi_;ime. The verb tenses are introduced slowly at first, and carefully reinforced. c) The needing end uniting skills are developed slowly and methodically, to ensure that unrealistic demands are not made of the pupil. The pupil is taught one form of lettering at a time: printed letters and unjoined handwriting in Inter 1, then joined handwriting in Inter 2. Hateful The material in SASE Intermediate is chosen and graded on three levels: a) b) u . Carefully graded so that the pupil does not have to learn too many new concepts at a time. The criterion of usefislsess. The pupil learns language that enables him to say as much as possible as early as possible. The material chosen is based on s;ess_sfi 137 and on W for suggesting. inviting, asking favors, etc. A skills syllabus. The skills are developed gradually, to ensure that unreasonable demands are not made of the pupil. Inter l concentrates on speaking and listening: and does not demand too much in respect of reading and writing. Inter 2 develops the reading skill: Inter 3 develops the writing skill. The text for listening and reading gradually increase in length. In Inter 3 the pupil is encouraged to work out for himself the meaning of unknown words when listening and reading. 138 smurucs or van mass IN saunr mm: scsoons' morass (8233) W (to be) (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13) (There is) (11) (Imperative) (12) Present Continuous (14, 15, 16, 17) (to have) (19) 'going to' future (21) W Present Simple 1: general truths (6, 7) Present Simple 2: habits (9, 10) Present Simple 3: adverbs of frequency (16) Past Simple (17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24) W Past Continuous (9) Present Perfect 1: completion (l7) Present Perfect 2: for/since (20) 'will' future (22) W Past perfect (13) Present Simple Passive (15) Past Simple Passive (16) 'used to' (18) Conditional l (22) mm Present Continuous with future meaning (7) Present Perfect 3: experience (7) Present Perfect Continuous 1: Continuous meaning (14) would: past habit (17) Future Continuous 1: continuous meaning (20) Present Perfect Passive (21) Conditional 2 (23) 139 5992914311.: Future Continuous 2: plans for the future (7) Present Continuous Passive (8) Past Perfect Continuous (13) 'about to do' (14) Future Perfect (16) Present Perfect 4: with 'already:, 'just' (18) Conditional 3 (l9) 140 FUNCTIONS ThUGHT II SASE INTERMEDIATE (simple interactional formulae) Inter_l Greetings: Hello (phone) (3) Good morning/afternoon (11) Hello (3) Goodbye (1) Instructions: imperative (12) must (24) Street directions (12, 21, 24) Asking a favor: Could You? (24) Polite request: I'd like (20) ln§£L_2 Asking for information (7) Wishes: I want (9) I'd like (9) Likes and dislikes (8, 16) Instruction: You . . . (ll) Comparisons: comparative (4) too, not . . . enough (8) more/less (13) as . . . as (4) superlative (15) comparison with adverbs (21) Asking a favor: Could you? (14) Would you mind? (21) Offering: I'll (14) Suggesting: Let's, How about (16) Asking for suggestions: What shall we do? (16) Agreeing and refusing: I'd like to Let's not (16) ln§s£_3 Offering: I'll (4, l4) Expressing surprise: What a . . . I How . . . 1 Likes and disliked (10) 141 Inviting, accepting, refusing (10) Asking a favor: Would you mind? (14) Could you? (14) Agreeing, refusing: I'll, I won't (l4) Asking advice: What shall I do (14) Giving advice: Why not? How about? (14) Certainty: will (22) 142 CHANGES NADE TO SASE SECONDAR! 1 AND 3 (1405) EDITION The following changes have been made to the 1405 edition, in response to the comments of the Ministry of Education, of supervisors and of teachers. 1. W- There are now only 19 teaching Units in SASE Secondary l and 3. W. Extra revision and test units have been introduced for the middle and end of the year. Continuous grammar and vocabulary revision has been introduced into each Unit. Lsnsth.9f_ie§t§. The teaching tests have been shortened. new. The tests have been divided into short sections to make them easier for the teachers to handle. SASE Secondary l - Pupils study half the test in Lesson 1 and do comprehension work. Pupils study the other half in Lesson 2 and do comprehension work on the whole text. SASE Secondary 3 - Each test is divided into 3 sections. Instructions are given as to how teachers can handle each of these 6. 143 sections. Teachers would normally do 2 sections in lesson 1 and one in lesson 2. mark. Homework is now set twice a week (after lessons 2 and 4). W Work with the readers is now included in the Pupils Book. Exercises are set on parts of each reading text in the Readers. Teachers are expected to cover this part in class: pupils will read the rest at home. agencises. The number of exercises has been reduced. In particular, the study skills work has been taken out of Wm. REVISED TEACHING PROGRANNE FOR SASE SECONDARY, GRADE 1 AND 3 EEQQNDABIL_£BADE_1 LesssLl. Description of picture. New vocabulary from picture. Final passage. New vocabulary from passage. Comprehension. W. Second passage. New vocabulary from passage. Comprehension. Vocabulary exercise. Review of passages. Homework. Lassen_l. 144 Explanation of first grammar point. Exercise(s) on first grammar point. Explanation of second grammar point, etc. Vocabulary revision. Composition or Reader or Grammar revision. BASIA.A£L1¥1§L£§3 are suggested for each Unit. SESQNDABXI_§BADE_1 Discussion of picture. New vocabulary frmm picture. First section of passage. New vocabulary. Second section of passage. New vocabulary. Review of first and second sections of passage. Third section of passage. New vocabulary. Comprehension Vocabulary exercise Review of whole passage. Explanation of first grammar point. Exercise(s) on first grammar point. Explanation of second grammar point, etc. Vocabulary revision and composition in Grammar revision and Reader. Ez§;s_Aseiyi;ies: Are suggested for each Unit. 145 SOME PRINCIPLES OF LANGUAGE TEACHING Decide whether you agree or disagree with these statements. Be prepared to say why. (NB. I do not agree with all of them.) 1. 2. 7. 8. 9. A teacher of English must be able to speak and write English perfectly. (sufficient for communication) Pronunciation is the most important aspect of language teaching. It is more important to teach the meaning of grammar than it is to practice its form. The aims of a grammar lesson and a reading lesson are different. Teachers can change the order of the lessons in the textbook. Teachers should use supplementary material to make the lesson more interesting. You can sometimes use Arabic in an English lesson. The teacher must correct every mistake a pupil makes. A teacher must explain every new work in a text. 146 TEACHING NEN”VOCABULARI WW Always look at a text before you teach it, and work out which words are likely to be new for your students. Avoid asking generally about vocabulary ('Any words you don't understand?'). Instead, pick out words which students may not know, and ask them 'Do you understand (passenger)? What does it mean? The most important rule in vocabulary teaching is: the students, not you, should do most of the work. Do not go through a text, line by line, explaining every new word. Instead. wherever possible. 85W 9 fix \ 0F s 4 1.1. {9v .- s 9. s 4: - 9 MAR. Only then, should you assist with your own explanation. Divide new words into passive and active vocabulary. Mile words are those which you should expect your students to remember and use. With wise words, it is enough if they understand the word as it appears in the text. Always write active words on the board. Get students to say and copy them. If time allows, give them a short list on the words after 2 - 3 days, to see if they remember them. Try to work the words into future lessons. Never introduce too many new words at a time. If a text contains a large number, concentrate on the most important ones. Paraphrase sentences containing the less important ones, so that students understand the general sense but do not need to know the words. W Teach vocabulary in_sssges: l. P;e;;eseh some vocabulary. Introduce it by discussing the topic of the text, by looking at the illustration in the coursebook or by looking at a wallchart or flashcard. 147 Make students work hard for these new words, e.g: Student: There's a . . . ? Teacher: What? Student: It's in the sky? Teacher: What's it like? Student: It's white. It's made of water. It brings rain. Teacher: Yes. It's a cloud. A cloud. (Teacher writes signs on board). 2. After students have read the text, ask them to find the first new word. Tell them to read the sentence in which it occurs, and gnefis_!hflt_it_m£§ns. Repeat for other new words. 3. Ask: 'Any other words that you do not know?’ If students mention some, ask sshe;_s;sflenss to explain them. WWW theJessnn (a) Give WW e.g. 'complicated' means 'difficult' [But think this out carefully: two words which have the same meaning in one context may have a different meaning in another. e.g. 'hard' means 'difficult ' in some contexts, but 'not soft ' in others.] (b) Give a simple_exnlanatinn g: 's_ysn is like a lorry but smaller' g: 'You use a hemme; to hit a nail' g: 'A slumps; is a man who mends pipes' (c) Use 1151113141515 illustrations in the coursebook simple drawings on the board actual objects brought into the classroom demonstrating with your hands (words like high, 1.9.21, etc.) flashcards (made from newspaper pictures) 148 (d) 89.: e.g: 'I can't find my pen. I'm leeking for it'. Teacher looks around vaguely, scratching his head. (e) Use the word inmates; e.g: When my father was 65, he stopped working, and ruined e.g: My son was late coming home. I thought, 'Perhaps he had an accident'. I was neggied. (13) W e.g: The doctor QELEQ the man. He made the man better. e.g: The shop had a ssle. It sold things more cheaply than usual. (9) Give the smite or W e.g: 'digey} is the opposite of 'clean'. It means 'not clean'. e.g: He didn't remember the address. He flexes; the address. e.g: He wasn't the driver. He was s_psssenge; e.g: The music wasn't on a record. It was on a Eflfififiiifio u . Translation can be inaccurate: can lead to wrong conclusions: and does not help students to remember the new word. But we have to recognize that translation can sometimes save a lot of time - especially when teaching abstract words ('life', 'pride', etc.) Use it in these cases. IMPORTANT NOTE: It is essential for you to have a very clear idea of the vocabulary level of your class. When you explain a word. you WW Wanna. This sounds obvious: but many teachers give vocabulary explanations which are more complicated than the words they are teaching! Do not spend too much time on vocabulary teaching. Students need to know structure if they are to form sentences accurately: they can and will pick up a lot of vocabulary for themselves. 149 GRANNARz CONTROL OR.PREEDON? There should be three phases to teaching a new language point. 1. Presenting 2. Practicing 3. Applying It is vital that you do not overlook the second and third phases - particularly the third, which tests the students' ability to use what the have learned in other contexts. PHASE 1: PRESENTING A LANGUAGE POINT AIM: to show students clearly how and when a particular grammar point is used. Approach this in one of two ways: a) W Present the language point through a series of simple situations. Stress the elements which make it necessary to use the grammar point. e.g: I started waiting at 8:00 It's 9:00. I'm still waiting. W for an hour- (See 'Presenting grammar') This can be followed by studying the language point in a text. 9.1; b) SEW Students read and discuss the text. Copy on to the board an example (from the text) of the grammar point which the text teaches. Explain the grammar point. Give other simple situations in which it can be used. Students study the text. They find further examples of the grammar point, and explain them. Do not omit to pick out neg_gseshulsxy. Get students to guess its meaning from context, where possible (see 5.4 'Teaching Vocabulary'). 150 PHASE 2: PRACTICING THE LANGUAGE POINT AIMS: (a) To give the students confidence in using the The a) b) C) d) f) structure. (b) To help students to produce the more automatic parts of the structure without having to stop and think. following are ways of practicing a structure: Resall_s£_tsxt. If you have taught with a text, tell students to shut their books. Then ask them to recall what they have read, using words as close as possible to the original ones. m. Useful for getting the students to form the structure rapidly (see 'Classroom techniques'). W111. Useful for getting students to sex the structure correctly, using the right rhythm and pronunciation (see 'Classroom techniques'). . Do them rapidly, encouraging students to form their answers as spontaneously as possible (see 'Handling exercises'). W. Useful for getting students to practice interrogatives and general question forms (e.g. Practice: ths_ssle;_is_i;? at the same time as practicing red. yellow. green. etc.) (see 'Classroom techniques') Dialggues. Make up a simple dialogue illustrating the structure, or take one from the book. Two students say it: another two students say it. Then the whole class practices, working in pairs. Remember that in this phase of the lesson, you are aiming for ACCURACY. Correction technique is very important (see 'Classroom techniques') PHASE 3: APPLYING A GRAMMAR POINT (about 5 - 10 minutes at the end of a lesson) AIM: To get students to use what they have learnt in a] number of new situations. 151 Use one of the following: a) Qisiegue_u;iuing. You give students a simple dialogue, -illustrating the structure: the practice the dialogue in Phase 2. In Phase 3, the write a similar dialogue themselves, working in pairs. Several pairs read their dialogues to the class. b) MW. Ask students to act out a situation which produces the structure you have just taught them. e.g: Students can act out a shop situation to practice countable and uncountable nouns. e.g: Policeman interviewing suspects to practice Past Continuous (flhst ueze ygu suing a; . . . ?) e.g: Reporter interviewing film star, then reporting to class: to practice Indirect Speech. (n simple_siseussisns on topics which produce the structure just taught. e.g: After you have taught Conditional 2, (If I km his address, I genie urise to him) get students to discuss hypothetical situations: What would you do if you were shipwrecked on a desert island? What would you do if you saw a fire? e.g: nAfter teaching sheuig heye, ask students: Is there anything in your life which you regret? (I should have worked harder/I shouldn't have driven fast, etc.). d) Hill£h§1L_21££QL£= Students produce the structure just taught when describing the picture. e.g: Use a picture of a car accident after teaching the Present Perfect. Students say: He's damaged the car. He's hit a lamp-post. The bus has stOpped, etc. Stronger classes can compose their own sentences for homework, using the box as a model. Weaker classes can simply be used to make five correct sentences from the box. Other ways of summarizing are: I!) Write Was; onto the board. Underline the important words. Students copy. b) C) 152 Write one or two simple situations on the board, with the last line in each missing. Students copy and put in the last line. e.g: I started waiting at 8:00. It's 9:00 now. I'm still waiting. I . . . . Ensuring that students underline the important structure throughout the text. 153 GRANNAR.CONTROL OR.PREEDON? Much of your teaching will be done from the coursebook, and much of the coursebook material will be in the form of texts. Please remember that these texts are use teaching exercises: they are designed to show the students how and when to use a particular point of grammar. It is therefore essential for you to identify the grammar point and to make sure that the students understand it, in relation to the text. l-WW Lead the class into a short discussion (5 minutes) related to the topic of the text. Use visual aids (photos etc.) if possible. Try to introduce some of the vocabulary they need. or Discuss the illustration in the coursebook (if any). Again, use this to create expectations among the students about what they are about to read, and to teach some new vocabulary. AW Approach the teaching material in one of four ways a) 1 Students read silently (see suggestions under 6.2 heading work' for varying the kinds of reading they do). 2 Teacher asks comprehension questions. Teacher teaches new vocabulary. b) 1 Teacher sets a series of questions on the text. 2 Students read the text (perhaps working in pairs) to find the answers. 3 Students read the text in greater depth. Teacher teaches new vocabulary. c) 1 Students close books. Teacher reads the text aloud, or plays the cassette. 2 Teacher asks questions. 154 3 Students open books and read silently. 4 Teacher asks more questions. Teacher teaches vocabulary. d) (appropriate if the text is a dialogue) Teacher plays the cassette. Students listen with books closed. Teacher asks simple questions. 2 Teacher plays the cassette again, students with books open. 3 Two students read aloud dialogue. 4 Whole class reads dialogue, with all students working in pairs. Important note on reading aloud: W n s. The activity is a boring one which occupies the full attention of only one student (the reader). It is of doubtful value since written style sentences are very different in vocabulary and structure from those we speak. It is much more important for pupils to develop their silent reading. mantraWint Make sure that you are clear what the text is teaching. Draw the students' attention to it in one of two ways: a) W Introduce the grammar point through simple situations sefisge students approach the text. (Situations are often suggested in TB) e.g: I'm talking to a man at a bus stop. He is very hot. The man says: 'I started waiting here at 9:00. It's 9:30 and I'm still waiting here. (Pause) I've been waiting for half-an-hour.‘ Then ask students: When did he start waiting? What's the time now? Is he still waiting? So he says . . . ? Repeat with parallel examples. 155 I started watching TV at 8:00. It's 10:00 now. I'm still . . . I've been . . . I started reading at 6:00. It's 10:00 now. I'm. . . I've . . . I started travelling on Monday. It's Friday now. I'm . . . I've . . . Pupils then go on to see the new grammar point being used in the text. D) W Students study the text first. Then copy onto the board WWW g;amma;_psiu;. Explain the grammar point as above, e.g: If the text says: Wish is; 3 years, copy the sentence on the board, and explain: 'He started learning English. He's been learning English for 3 years.‘ Go on to give similar examples. Ask pupils to find other examples of the grammar point 124nm (if any) and to explain them in the way you have. Some grammar points are taught most easily by paraphrase. Copy a model sentence from the text onto the board. Paraphrase it simply. Then ask pupils to find similar sentences in the text and paraphrase them in the same way, e.g: You copy: It can't be a bird. It must be plane. You explain: I'm sure that it isn't a bird. I'm sure that it's a plane. Pupils paraphrase all other sentences with caug' and muss. km W Make sure that pupils practice a model sentence from the text. It is very important for them to master the intonation and rhythm of the new grammar point. Here you should use ehe;us_ue;k 156 Pupils shut their books. The teacher reads aloud from the text, stopping before important structural words. Pupils have to continue the sentences. IMPORTANT NOTE: Many teaching texts are long. Do not be afraid to divide them up into smaller sections. This can be done as follows: 1. 2. Students read a paragraph. Teacher analyzes the grammar point(s) of the paragraph, teaches the vocabulary. Class goes on to next paragraph. Teacher divides class into small groups. Each group reads a different section of the text. Then each group has to tell the rest of the class about what it has read. Teacher sets general questions sefisge class reads text. Class reads text to find the answers, getting a general 'overview' of what the text is about. Then class reads each paragraph in greater depth. Divide pupils into pairs. Give pupil A a copy of one paragraph and pupil B a copy of the next paragraph. Pupils read them, then tell each other what they have read. It is possible to mix these approaches so as to provide added variety. 157 GRANNAR: CONTROL OE PREEDON? It is no good simply asking the class to read through a text in the coursebook then do exercises on it. It is up to you to W the grammar point which the text illustrates: to draw the class's attention to it: and then to make them ELAQLIQE it. They must be made aware of what the text is teaching. Before you teach a text, always ask yourself: What is the grammar point which this text introduces? Make sure that a before you teach it (and checked it in a grammar if necessary). Above all, '1'. - ‘ 1 9° ‘9 ‘ O . - ' . Q ' simiiau_sne. This is very easy to do. Think ahead - and anticipate problems before they happen. Put yourself in the place of your students: try to see how they may misunderstand the grammar point, (or the new vocabulary) and try to anticipate the more prickly questions. Always contrast a new verb tense with any similar ones that the students already know, e.g. it is meaningless to teach the Past Continuous unless you show how it differs from the Past Simple. WW. Avoid abstract explanations. If you have to explain something quickly (because it is not your main teaching point) try to do so through: (a) giving e.g: for a week, for a month, for two years since Monday, since June, since 1980 e.g: He's a quiss worker. He works quietly (M W and underlining the important features e.g: I want Ls_suim I like aiming e.g: If it W at home (c) giving We e.g: II thought I was going to miss the train. But I hurried and got to the station in time for the train. We arranged to meet at 6:00. I arrived at 6:00. I was eu_;ime. 158 (d) giving EQEQLELE explanations e.g: If I saw a ghost, I'd run. (But I'm not likely to see a ghost). If I lived in Spain, I'd swim a lot. (But I don't live in Spain). (e) drawing simpie_eiag;ams on the board. This can be useful for showing the differences between verb tenses e.g: accident 9:00 9:04 9:05 walking I [as_1sising along the street when the accident happened. (f) Weiss e.g: I'm going to be a doctor - Iiye_geeieed to be a doctor. I'll earn a lot of money - I'm sexism to earn a lot of money. e.g: It's a plane. I'm sure — It mus;_se a plane. Perhaps it's a plane - It mighe_se a plane. If you ever have to resort to a theoretical explanation (because it is the shortest way of getting an idea across) -- do not use vague abstract terms such as 'habit', 'continuous', 'period of time', 'duration', etc. - always follow the explanation with eene;e;e_exampies. e.g: 'We use this when we can see use what happened i So we say: The plate is empty. He's eaten all the food. There's a hole in the window. He's broken the window. - make your explanation easier to follow by using your hands and facial gestures. e.g: point behind you for 'yesterday', point forwards for 'tomorrow'. Some warnings: DO NOT use WW- It may sound authoritative to you, but it is very easy to get your terms 159 wrong. And grammar terminology tends to confuse the students, who may know different terms or none at all. If you want to refer to (e.g.) verb tenses, use 'key words', e.g. Use 'yesterday . . .' to get students to produce the Past Simple, 'Every day . . .' for the Present Simple, 'Now . . .' for the Present Continuous. DO NOT confuse_fs;m_1i_th_m_eanin_g. Just because students can make a tense, it does not mean that they can use it. Inadequate teachers take great pride in showing their students how to make (e.g) the Present Perfect from hays plus the past participle, but omit to tell the students how and when the Present Perfect is used. DO NOT mix Wee. For example, if you teach: The plate is empty: IL!§.£§£§D the food, do not teach at the same time: i'ye iiyed here for six years. The form of IL!§.£§£§D: I'ye_iiges is the same (both are Present Perfect). But they represent, in three examples, of the Present Perfect. Teach them in different lessons. When teaching grammar (especially verb tenses), teachers should make use of seneeps_seh;ehses. These lay out, one by one, the circumstances in which a particular structure is used. For example, the Present Perfect Continuous is often used when talking about the duration of an action which began in the past and is still continuing at the present time. Such an explanation is useless to our students (and indeed is likely to confuse them). It is the job of the teacher, therefore, to turn it into a set of concrete conditions for using the tense: a) I started waiting at 8 o'clock. (began in the past). b) It's nine o'clock now. I'm still waiting. (continuing) c) I've been waiting for an hour. The concept sentences should be drummed into the students by asking questions or giving them incomplete sentences: I started waiting . . . ? What's the time now? And I'm still . . . ? So what do I say? 160 I say: I've been . . . ? The teacher can then go onto other examples: We started reading at 8 o'clock. It's 10 o'clock now. We're still reading. We've been . . . They started travelling on Tuesday. It's Friday now. They're still travelling. They've been . . . Remember: pace is very important for all grammar explanations. Work through your explanation slowly and point by point (especially if using concept sentences). At each step, make sure that the class has followed what you are saying. 161 CLASSROON NANAGENENT Following the teaching text, most Grades of SASE provide grammar and comprehension exercises. Remember that working through exercises is very boring and de-motivating for your students. WW. Do the exercises eeaiiy: if you want students to write them, set them for homework. Here are ways of varying exercises: 1. Divide class into pairs. Each pair works together in deciding the answers to the exercise. Allow a short period of time only: say 3 - 5 minutes. Then ask the class for their answers. 2. Do the exercise as a team game: a point for each correct answer. 3. Do the exercise once: then repeat it again at speed. Get students to W. After each answer, say: '18 that right?‘ If it is not, ask another student to correct it. If the class makes a large number of mistakes, stop the exercise, explain the grammar point again, then begin the exercise again. Do not allow the lesson to become slow and repetitive. This is how a bad lesson goes: Teacher: Read the instruction. Student: 'Make sentences with mighi'. Teacher: What's the first sentence? Student: 'Perhaps it's a plane. And the answer?’ Teacher: Yes. 'Perhaps it's a plane. And the answer?‘ Student: It might be a plane. Teacher: Good. Yes. It might be a plane. It might be a plane. This is tedious and wasteful of time. Speed should be of the essence in doing exercises: Teacher: Read the instruction. . . Now, Naseal number 17. Student: It might be a plane. Teacher: Is that right, Ali? Student: Teacher: To resume: 162 Yes. Yes. It might be a plane. Number 2, Hasan? DO NOT wait for volunteers. Call on students by name. DO NOT ask students to read aloud from the book. (a) instructions (b) prompt sentences ('Perhaps it's a plane'). DO NOT keep repeating the correct answer. DO NOT waste time while a student struggles to find an answer. Ask another student, then as haeh_ie_ihe_fii;se_ene and ask him to repeat the COIIECt ADSHEIo 163‘ CLASSROON NANAGENENT There are a number of classroom techniques which are extremely useful to the English teacher - particularly in practicing grammar points. a) QRLLLS are useful for getting students to form sentences quickly. They are particularly useful for those elements of language which are basically meaningless (e.g. the extra :s in HE.11££§ as compared with 1411.4). Qe_hue overdo drilling (3 - 4 minutes maximum). QQ_EQ£ get students to make nonsensical sentences for the sake of drill. There are two main types of drill: transformatiomilla Teacher: '1 say to you ''I like cheese", you say 'Do you really like cheese?". (Teacher repeats the instruction to ensure class understands). Teacher: II like cheese (Student: Do you really like cheese?) -~ Teacher: I live in London (Student: Do you really live in London?) Teacher: I drive a Rolls Royce (Student . . . ?) Teacher: I smoke a pipe (. . . .) Teacher: He speaks French ( . . .) Teacher: He works at night (. . .) The aim of the above is to practice forming questions: sometimes with he and sometimes with Dues. Willis Teacher: I'm going to say a sentence, then a word. I want you to put the word in the sentence, and change the sentence. I say: 'I want to buy a coat - a hat'. You say: 'I want to buy a hat'. (Teacher repeats the explanation.) Teacher: I want to buy a coat - a hat (S: I want to buy a hat) - a bag (S: I want to buy a bag) - a scarf (S: I want to buy a scarf) - a stamp - a postcard - sand (S: I want to send a postcard) - a telegram - that letter - read - a magazine - a paper - a book. 164 IMPORTANT NOTE: Drills must be done at a rapid pace. Do not call on students by name - simply point to them. NOTE: Drills are difficult to make up. You will not be expected to design your own. SASE provides a number of exercises which can be handled like drills (especially in Secondary Grade 2) b) QQESTLQN_ANQ_AN£HER techniques enable the students to practice the interrogative form of a verb tense as well as the positive form. Get one student to ask a question, another to answer. Repeat several times. Then get all students to work in pairs, asking their neighbor questions and answering his questions. APPENDIX D LETTERS 165 MICHIGAN S'I'ATE UNIVERSITY l'\I\I‘I(\Il\‘ I.()\l\IIl'lI-'lv UN KIWI-ARI.” INVOLVING ItAh'l' LANSING ° MICHIGAN ' IM‘ZI IIL\I'\\ SLIIJHJS (LI‘KIIIS) NH AINIINIS'IRAIION IIL‘II IIIXG HP|“tUHn April 3, 1985 Mr. Talal Dhafar Al-Borg Building. Apt. 40 Tnif, Saudi Arabia Dear Mr. Dhafar: Subject: Proposal Entitled, "A Survey of the English Language Supervisors' and Teachers' Perceptions of the English Language Curriculum in the Secondary Schools of Saudi Arabia" 1 am pleased to advise that I concur with your evaluation that this project is exempt from full UCRIHS review, and approval is herewith granted for conduct of the project. You are reminded that UCRINS approval is valid [or one calendar year. if you plan to continue this project beyond one year, please make provisions for obtaining appropriate UCRIHS approval prior to April 3, 1986. Any changes in procedures involving human subjects must be reviewed by the UCRIHS prior to initiation of the change. UCRIHS must also be notified promptly of any problems (unexpected side effects, complaints, etc.) involving human subjects during the course of the work. Thank you for bringing this project to my attention. It I can be at any future help, please do not hesitate to let me know. Sincerely. \ ‘ J ' 15cm. Henry E. Bredeck Chairman, UCRIHS HEB/jms cc: Dr. Robert C. Hatfield MSU 9': on III/imam» Action/Equal Opponent” Institutio- 166' ' “393-4 Directorate ol Education Wm Province 1.: Jill ill-:11, Flt.“ LUl :JlaYl . 1". .f‘ 1.;I‘.'\.'.i§"tii‘. '9‘. .13 .,.. Jeddah - Small Arabia ‘00-” 3"." @I - “ er” Date but” “Jiffy: ‘d—éq-asfiw'g‘J‘J-J‘dfiJ-zy‘YI -3 «LI—g 66" «Uri...» [5,15 '3’...“ J—I—gy’fl WIszJ' Wan-n. bl’ib “I Jr.‘ JNL ale...“ 3.1.). ‘36 an”, . LWYIUMI viewfiuliolfs: #4?!an quaqsiluul “,4... 91‘ n.5,: Vieéfi‘tcul gab-$3.... étruleoql <- . o (“Jon-y . Ltle t,» .9): u ,_.. ... L... 3_.”: c ilrfoJ, o o d." rt“: / 0 - 'L ) 'Llco .th‘MdJ'u/J ‘9 \ Kt - 2» 167 MJWAHZ'? Directorate cl 6m Wane-n Pm ,ga/J; £13..“ Mfiw Eb”! ' ' - .A. \..u\.\:2 ‘-.-. ' . I ,. , .. . . 1 ~ 1 J 1 m am am bfllMWI-fifllu mentors Ofllcc 434‘s“ 13,-“ ‘vfibx-‘I' / p—J-J‘ . 4..., . fit}; mlb”,s.bfx_n W: A-I/flb «J mdfi/ HIM-Mei» 4:5 Lib-LN" HUI .45 05,354“ lei-l gl- JJ‘I’JJ Wx‘ uJ'JaL-J' 31'): Jr; 0- F)..." rat...” Jtaw ,9 cub; 5d a... wL-sll, ale-owl 3591-83-7: ‘ .eshmwawwl Lust—sap, y qulo‘ll,3.~.L-:Jl 0,531,... ft? ‘ "a '35. " .‘ (a),’JJ : r—Sflu ~L~ .. ) \y c 1* :ékfil )3 \‘L-o/fl/gkérJUI (/ \—\\l :15)“ 168 KINGDOM or swan ARABIA ' I . kyJJM/Qfim MINISTRY OF EDUCATION , J o ‘0 (SENWL noosumznxc .051;- momma. £51.” 21:1)9‘ 0:131;be TAI' NATION Dunner. -. .I ." Jul" a. NUMBER : -—— 3'3," 0 u. . 9W¢gw Lilian. wmIvJIJ—IIg’J. 34L...“ an 34‘.” . . cfiflwlbflfigfirul u—J‘ JW-U Sufi uJ'th-J' 345:“?- J‘L 40' 4n! J)”, due—4' a“ Jet...” JLaDUJJbJIchI “pg-.94.”, . . Lhasa” um gnlfiulznu . _;...,le.:.,.J't-.a:..l nkbfistm, 15.45;“ w: .. QI_:_JI ii. “lawman“... Mg m e—v-e-J't—U' J—‘a .‘r-J'b-v. 1/‘0 «50C “\' “t. ”fir H \ .pr " o. I t ' ‘. .I‘ ...a&.‘-“..-'.nnl -."‘"w ’ ‘ ”(p -"/ ....- _ . . _ .. I. ('9 . u ,' “ " ‘oif‘ . ’ “- .. . ~ ‘r’u‘l'r" "lfi’frlr'r"! (pf .- m If?“ “'91,“ ‘h‘ 'l'“ “mi-‘29“ IE“! ' fr? «9‘9“? “'5' “7'3"” 961“ f" fee-Ir?“ (fear-"u? mfir‘f‘e ' ”P"? ' "'«nnrrv'mrfii’ “firm-rm. “5“!" :‘f‘fi'r" "1‘“ II'I""'_""'. smug"?! F‘T flurry" e“ irr‘remfi'r“! ' "‘15? r.” inf-qr / TKP“? r” 71"“ r" “M lr‘fl’ur‘fr'.” {T‘R‘l * IP‘KJ‘T‘XJ‘K‘QIIT‘ “X39 ' °"""-“" ’- Il's‘” *‘awe/ .\.-. I... ‘ .2 IR‘filrfia—‘fi 2‘. - - scl’er'r‘mm‘mr-“t .. .. r_ {f'fa‘m’f-y lmlii‘l‘e‘ _69I REFERENCES References AL-Itirgy,a. (1983). W WWW. Unpublished master's thesis (in Arabic), Umm AL-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. AL-Kamookh, A. A. (1981). A_surxey_9£_the_£nglish_1anguage WW WWII: Eastgrn_2;gginge_g£_fiaudi_brabia. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas, Kansas. Alkhuli, M. A. (1976). W W. Riyadh. Saudi Arabia: Riyadh University. Altwaijri, A. O. (1982). W W Schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon, Oregon. Eisner. E. (1979). W W. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. English Language Teaching Profile: Iraq. London, England: British Council, English Language and Literature Division. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 231 191) English Language Teaching Profile: Arabic Republic of Egypt. London, England: British Council, English Language and 170 171 Literature Division. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 230 063) English Language Teaching Profile: Sultanate of Oman. London, England: British Council, English Teaching Information Centre» (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 16 1288) Gage, N. L. (1972) WWW gonootion. Palo Alto, Calfornia: Pacific Book. Ghosh, R. N. 5 Others. (1977). W lanonaoo_tooohino (Vol. 3). Hyderbad, India: Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages. Haws, G. R. & Haws, L. S. (1982). Iho_oonoioo_fiiotionarx_oi eouootion. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. Jan, 24. s. (1984). MW MW Arabia. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University, Michigan. Kharma, N. (1977). The foreign language learner in the secondary schools of Kuwait. Englifih_Longnago_Iooohing lQnLnilJ 21(1) 78-81. Kharma, N. (1977). Motivation and the young foreign language learner. W. 11(2) 103-104. Meinhoff, M. a Meinhoff, J. (1976). Wants. WW 1215:1215, (ERIC Document Reproduction Service) 172 Ministny of Education. (1974). Generel secondegg scheel'e Corjloolom. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Directorate of Research, Curricula, and Instructional Materials. Kosher. c. A. & Kalton. c. (1972). W 'n s i n. New York: Basic Books, Inc. Oppenheim, A. N. (1966). u s n s' d ' d meoeogemeog. New York: Basic Books, Inc. Sheshesha, J. A. (1982). Ine_goe1ifioeeion§_of_e_oomoeeeet .- . . 7;, 'n a . ; i. a, as .- 7-7 ~d . = c -s u -.c;-_s and s: -c -d o ao- 1 _- s. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Indiana University, Indiana. Thompson-Panos, K. & Thomas-Ruzic, M. (1983). The least you should know about Arabic: Implications for the ESL writing instructor. IESQL_Qo§;;e;11, 11(4), 609-623. Yorkey. R. (1974, JulY)- Wham teaching Azebic epeeking etudenes. Paper presented at the meeting of the Defense Language Institute, English Language Branch, Lackland Air Force Base. Zais, R. S. (1976). u u 'nc' 5 nd and ns. New York: Thomas Crowell Co.