An examination of English instructional strategies at university level in Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This research study investigated teaching and learning strategies that English professors at college level use and the professors’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the strategies. The primary research question was: what English instructional strategies are considered the current effective practice for undergraduate students at Qassim University in Saudi Arabia? The participants were sixteen female professors in the English Department at Qassim University in Saudi Arabia. This study used a 33 item survey distributed to these English professors, asking them about teaching and learning strategies and their effectiveness. Results, in general, showed that learning strategies, which are learner-centered strategies taught to students to increase learning, are more aligned to the best practices than teaching strategies, which are teacher-centered strategies a teacher uses to teach effectively, in Qassim University. In the conclusion, the study showed many similarities between current and best practices and few differences. Based on the differences, some recommendations, such as enhancing the communication between professors and students, were made. At the end, the researcher added some suggestions for further studies.