CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS FACTORS AFFECTING THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF ENGLISH IN SUADI ARABIA

CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS FACTORS AFFECTING THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF ENGLISH IN SAUDI ARABIA.

1. INTRODUCTION.

This research is about the cultural and religious factors affecting the teaching and learning of English language in tertiary institutions in Saudi Arabia. Four factors namely motivation, social and economic advancement and struggle between English and Islam and language anxiety have been put forward, amongst others as issues worth investigating.

Also, the teaching and learning of English has been driven by examination success at the expense of the long- term goal of achieving complete means of communication in reading, writing, listening and grammar. Since motivation is low among many students partly because of language anxiety and the struggle between English and Arabic, many students seem to want to pass so as to climb to the next level/social ladder, which a pass in English language provides. This makes proper English language teaching and learning impracticable.

This research should get teachers and language planners think about the current situation and change. It will show that something needs to be done urgently about certain ways that English is being taught in Saudi Arabia.

2. HOW THE PROPOSED RESEARCH RELATES TO PREVIOUS RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD.

In this section, we look at previous research conducted by various individuals and groups under motivation, social and economic advancement, struggle between English and Islam and language anxiety and their influence on English language teaching/learning in different parts of the world.

Gardner (1985) proposed that the motivated individual is one who wants to achieve a particular goal and experiences satisfaction in the activities in achieving this goal. Gardner further states that motivation influences language achievement as well as experiences in formal and informal language context influence attitudes and motivation. Gardner and MacIntyre (1993) are of the opinion that integrativeness reflects a positive interest toward the other language or group in general. Since learning a language involves associating with another cultural group, they propose that the motivation to learn the language could involve attitudes toward that community. They also say that attitude toward the learning situation play a role in the language-learning situation. This may involve attitude toward the instructor, class, textbooks, language laboratory etc.

Laine (1977) investigated Finnish students learning English and found that indicators of self-confidence and motivation had association with English achievement. In Belize, Gordon (1980) found that language aptitude was the best indicator of English achievement among school students followed by attitude toward the learning situation. Kraemer (1990) investigated Israeli Jewish students studying either French or Arabic as a foreign language. She found that motivation was also a central mediator in the prediction of language performance. Lett and Omara (1990) did a similar project and found motivation as a factor in achievement even among military personnel. Bartley (1969) similarly found that those who dropped out of language study had significantly lower aptitude scores and less positive attitudes than students who continued their studies.

Dornyei, Z. and Csizer (1998:203) state that motivation is used by teachers and students to explain success or failure in second language learning. They also say that without motivation, individuals with remarkable abilities cannot achieve long term goals. They go further to say that appropriate curricula and good teaching without motivation isnt enough to ensure students achievement.

Motivation is a major variable that affects the teaching and learning of

the English language in Saudi Arabia. The objective of teaching and learning in English is unclear to a majority of the population here. English to a greater extent is seen as the main avenue through which

western that is non-Islamic culture enters the country. However, the few Saudi that know the value of the English language are highly motivated to learn the language. This research will find out how motivation influences their choice of English as a language of instruction and study.

According to Pennycook, A (1994:186) English in Malaysia is seen as a tool for social and economic advancement both within and outside the country. It is used in unequal distribution of wealth and power. He goes further to state that social criticism reaches a wider audience using English. English is used to make its destructive inroad into the culture of Malaysians. Also, Ozog (1990) found that all the fifty students at International Islamic University in Malaysia were concerned that English was the main avenue through which Western that is non-Islamic or even anti- Islamic culture entered the country.

Since the Gulf War in 1990, there appears to be a slight shift for changes in Saudi Arabia. The use and therefore teaching and learning of English got a big boost. Ones ability to use the English language has suddenly become a tool of social and economic advancement. Saudi who studied in English stand better chances of employment than those who did not. Access to the English language became easy through satellite television and Internet. Whether this is a factor that affects the teaching and learning of English here, is a factor that we hope to investigate.

Also, Pennycook reasons that for many colonized people, a strong relationship was felt between English and Christianity since the first contact with the language was through the Christian missionaries.

Pennycook continues by saying that there has been a long history of conflict between the Western/Christian world and the Muslim world- from the crusade, US vs. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Israel vs. Palestine and even the Salman Rushdie affair. This by extension is seen as a struggle between English and Islam. He further states that the term English and Islam are two very big battalions in terms of international power struggle for control of the Middle East. Independence movements in the Muslim world often involve a revival of Islamic consciousness with a stress on local languages and a rejection of Christianity and English.

In Saudi Arabia this fosters apprehension because some sections of the community see English as a language of non-believers. Consequently, the teaching of English has become a tasking competition with Arabic and to some extent Islam. In a way, the Saudis have a feeling that English is connected to forms of knowledge and culture that is oppositional or even threatening to their Islamic way of life. In a way therefore, Saudis are wary of some of the possible implications of learning English. This shouldnt be the case because Saudi Arabia being the capital of the Islamic world needs English for its Islamic propagation purposes and for the management of its oil resources. This research intends to ease tensions and propose ways of encouraging the teaching and learning of English in Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed Shafi (1983) suggests the need to

make English language truly Islamic involving the reassessment of teaching methods based on Islamic concepts and objectives, retraining of teachers, rewriting syllabuses and textbooks and stressing the new Muslim dominated moral curriculum in his work.

This Islamic Approach by Shafi is being applied in Saudi Arabia although at a low level. It is my view that English language teaching and learning in Saudi Arabia can be Islamicised. This can be done using the Quran, Hadith and books written by Saudis and other Islamic scholars around the world. Whether this may impact on the teaching and learning of English in Saudi Arabia is something that this study hopes to elicit.

Another factor that seems to be important in the English language teaching and learning situation in Saudi Arabia is language anxiety. (Ender and Okada, 1975; Eysenck, 1979; Schwarze, 1986) describe language anxiety as the apprehension experienced when a situation requires the use of a second language with which the individual is not fully proficient. This, they claim, makes the individual to react in a nervous manner when speaking, listening, reading and writing in the second language. The negative effect of language anxiety in second language has also been shown in (Gardner Smythe, Clement & Gilksman, 1976; Horwtz, 1986, Trylong 1987; Gardner and MacIntyre in press). Young (1986), reports correlations between scores on an oral proficiency interview and language anxiety. Tucker, Hamayan and Genesee (1976) found that being more adventuresome, less anxious and more willing to use the foreign language was associated with the achievement in a group of late immersion students. Trylong (1986) similarly found significant correlations of anxiety with achievement on written tests, oral quizzes and final grades in a first-year university French course.

Language anxiety manifests itself among many learners of English in Saudi Arabia. English is a language that is detested by some students but they are forced to study it as a required course. To such students, the idea is just to pass the course, not to learn and use the language. Language anxiety makes the students avoid using English with their teachers or with others outside the classroom. They dodge their teachers when they meet outside the classroom because of the fear of using English and making mistakes. This makes it a real issue in our investigation.

3. MAIN QUESTIONS OR HYPOTHESES.

A) GENERAL AIMS/OBJECTIVES.

1) To identify the cultural and religious barriers to the teaching and learning of English language in Saudi Arabia.

2) To advance remedies to these problems and barriers.

3) To serve as a guide in English language teaching and planning to people with similar cultural and religious background in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Sudan, Egypt and even Northern Nigeria.

B) SPECIFIC AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.

1) Is the teaching and learning of English affected by cultural and religious influence in Saudi Arabia?

2) Is English language teaching and learning seen as a cultural tool of the West on the Saudis?

3) Are teachers free to use any material they wish in teaching English?

4) Is the course content controlled to suit cultural/religious objectives of the Saudis?

5) Is the learner motivated to learn English?

6) What are teachers attitudes toward the learning and teaching of English?

i) Saudi teachers.

ii) Non-Saudi teachers.

7) Do graduates of schools/colleges and universities who studied in English have better job placement than those of Arabic?

8) Is high or low motivation a factor in learning English in Saudi Arabia?

9) Do non-proficient students show anxiety/apprehension when made to use English?

10) What is the influence of other general factors like class size, instructional materials, unqualified teachers, mixed ability classes, unclear objectives etc, in the teaching/learning of English in Saudi Arabia?

4. JUSTIFICATIONS OF THESE AS WORTHY OF INVESTIGATION.

This research hopes to justify the following assumptions:

1) That the learning and teaching of English language is affected by the culture and religion of the Saudis.

2) That English language teaching and learning is seen as a tool of the West on the Saudis.

3) As a result of (2) above, students motivation is a factor in learning English in Saudi Arabia.

4) That the course content in English is controlled to suit the cultural and religious inclination of the Saudis.

5) That anxiety affects the students because they avoid using English outside the classroom even with their teachers because of the fear of being laughed at by others. This affects their learning of English.

6) That this research will serve as guidance to teachers and teacher educators in places that have similar cultural and religious backgrounds.

5. OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.

This research is going to make use of questionnaires, interviews and observations. The questionnaires will take various formats like factual questions, sex, yes/no questions, multiple choice, ranked questions, closed ended questions, scale questions and Guttman Scaling. For interviews, I intend using structured interview, which uses tightly specified questions in advance. Observation will be done in the classrooms by going into colleagues classes during real time class sessions. Pre-planned observational behavior will be noted down as they occur live.

The questionnaires and interviews will be administered on students, teachers and administrators; while observation will be conducted on both students and teachers in the classroom.

6. SOURCES AND TYPES OF DATA AND METHODS OF COLLECTION.

Our sources of data are students, teachers and administrators concerned with the teaching and learning of the English Language. The respondents come from various universities and colleges around Saudi Arabia.

Three types of data are used numerical, observational and verbal. The numerical data is collected using questionnaires, the verbal data uses interview in its collection of information and observational through observation in the classroom.

The questionnaires are to be filled by the respondents. Some may be helped to fill them out. Interviews are to be done on one to one situation.

7.METHODS OF ANALYSIS.

According to Hatch and Farhady (1982:39), descriptive statistics is used to summarize data by coding, doing numerical computations and preparing a final study. I intend using the Central Tendency for my analysis. These are mode, median and mean. The mode is the most frequently obtained score in a data and is the easiest measure of Central Tendency. Median is the score that is at the center of distribution, while mean is the most commonly used measure of Central Tendency because it takes all scores into account. It works on the arithmetic concept that if scores are distributed along a scale, the mean will fall exactly at the balance point (pg 39-55).

Measures of variability in this research will be analyzed using Range, Standard Deviation and Variance. Range is the easiest and most informal method to talk about the spread of distribution of scores (Hatch and Farhady 1982:57) and is used to measure the difference between the highest and lowest values in a set of scores (Nunan 1992:231). Standard Deviation (SD) is also a frequently used measure of variability that looks at the average variability of all scores around the mean. The larger the SD, the more the variability from the central point in the distribution and vice versa.

The researcher will analyze the interview and observation results based on a list of set predetermined expected behaviors. This will then be interpreted and conclusions made.

8. MAIN STAGES IN THE CONDUCT OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH.

a) Working on the Proposal ====

b) Reading the Literature ======

c) Pilot Study ==============

d) Collection of Data =========

e) Writing and Submission of Thesis ==

Amajam Abwaku Chibok.

12/10/2000.

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