THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY

The Shift from Traditional to Developed Curriculum:
A Study of the Saudi Arabian Secondary School English Curriculum

by

Samirah Alghamdi

A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
Master of Education in
Educational Leadership
KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA
DECEMEBER, 2017
Dr. Edward Howe
Dr. John Churchley
Dr. Victoria Handford
Dr. Monica J. Sanchez-Flores

©Samirah Alghamdi, 2017

ABSTRACT
The effectiveness of an English curriculum, called Traveller, newly
implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was investigated. The research
identified advancements in the new curriculum that contributed to better achievement
of academic goals in English language study. In 2011 the Ministry of Education
introduced new teaching approaches; of the four new methods that the Ministry of
Education adopted in secondary schools, this research focused on the Traveller
curriculum. Senior secondary female students and English language teachers were
chosen as participants to evaluate this new method. Both quantitative and qualitative
research methods were applied. The results showed that the Traveller method has
brought remarkable benefits to the teaching and learning process. The majority of the
students thought it was a valuable learning experience, and students worked harder
because they found that the course challenged them appropriately. Therefore, this
research shows that the introduction of this new approach positively impacted student
achievement. Furthermore, the credit system showed success, as 63% of the students
agreed that it increased their desire to learn.
Keywords: English, Curriculum, Traveller, Saudi Arabia, Secondary.

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my Allah for this substantial accomplishment. I am also
very pleased to have a supervisor like Dr. Edward Howe, who has provided an
abundance of support throughout the entire research process: from narrowing the
research topic and deciding on the specific curriculum, to examining and finalizing
the thesis. He has also encouraged me to conduct further research in this field.
In addition, I would like to direct my sincere thanks to Dr. Patrick Walton—
the professor who first awakened my interest in this research and its methodology.
Dr. Walton taught me how to proficiently research a topic, and to engage with topics
that one is curious about. His knowledge and expertise has a direct impact on his
students, creating memorable and valuable learning experiences with them. As a
young researcher, I admire Dr. Walton and am grateful for the time I spent in his class.
Thanks also to Dr. John Churchley, Dr. Victoria Handford, and Dr. Monica J.
Sanchez-Flores who I was honored to work with as they helped and supported this
thesis with significant suggestions and ideas.
Furthermore, I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all
English teachers that I learned English with since I came to Canada; without their help
I would not be able to carry on my education in the Canadian university like
Thompson Rivers University.
Note: this study would not have been possible without my bi-lingual skills and
background. There are many references that are written in Arabic but have been
translated into English by myself. Any references to Arabic materials have been
translated and also appear as transliterations in the reference list.

iii

DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to my parents: to my kind, warm-hearted, inspiring
mother, Mrs. Asah Alghamdi and to my great, supportive father, Mr. Abdulrahman
Alghamdi, who is a role model for me. Without their care, prayers, and support, this
project would not have been achievable. I would also like dedicate the work to my
lovely family: to my husband Talal Alghamdi, and my beautiful daughters Elaf, Ellen,
and Laten who bring joy to my life.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... iii
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. v
LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................vii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. viii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1
The Developed Curriculum in Saudi Arabia ......................................................... 3
Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................ 8
Significance of the Study ......................................................................................... 9
Summary ................................................................................................................. 10
CHAPTER II: ROAD TO THE DEVELOPED CURRICULUM ......................... 11
The Linguistic Concept.......................................................................................... 12
The Old Concept .................................................................................................... 12
The Modern Concept ............................................................................................. 12
From Traditional Curriculum to Developed Curriculum ................................. 12
The English Developed Curriculum ..................................................................... 14
Project Objectives .................................................................................................. 14
Traveller Series ....................................................................................................... 15
Traveller Series Features ..................................................................................... 16
The Communicative Approach and Teaching English ....................................... 19
The Relationship between Teaching Method and School’s Environment ........ 21
The Relationship between Teaching Methods and the Students’ Achievement22
Summary ................................................................................................................. 23
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 24
Research Design and Instruments ........................................................................ 24
The Convergent Design ........................................................................................ 25
Participants ............................................................................................................. 25
Data Collection ....................................................................................................... 26
Interview .............................................................................................................. 26
Survey ................................................................................................................... 27
Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 28
Summary ............................................................................................................. 28
CHAPTER IV:RESULTS .......................................................................................... 29
The Findings .......................................................................................................... 29
v

Advancement in the English Curriculum ............................................................ 29
Fulfill all English skills ........................................................................................ 30
Corresponds with Students’ Needs ....................................................................... 31
Interesting Content ............................................................................................... 32
Effectiveness ........................................................................................................... 32
Student Performance ............................................................................................ 33
The Teaching Process .......................................................................................... 34
The Students’ Achievement ................................................................................... 37
Difficulties and Challenges .................................................................................... 38
Content Density.................................................................................................... 38
Shortage of Time .................................................................................................. 39
Repetition of Grammar’s Rules ........................................................................... 39
Teaching Strategies .............................................................................................. 40
Same Criteria for Traditional Exams ................................................................... 40
Teacher Preparation Needed ................................................................................. 40
Teaching Strategies .............................................................................................. 41
Taking a Course at the Training Center............................................................... 42
Utilize Technologies ............................................................................................. 42
Interact with Foreign English Teachers ............................................................... 42
Futher Interesting Findings .................................................................................. 43
Survey Results ........................................................................................................ 43
General Overview of Survey Results.................................................................... 43
Students’ Achievement .......................................................................................... 45
The Abilities of Teachers ...................................................................................... 48
The Textbook Content........................................................................................... 51
Summary ............................................................................................................. 54
CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION .................................................................................... 55
How does the New English Curriculum Impact Students’ Achievements? ...... 55
How will Teachers Prepare for the New Curriculum? ....................................... 59
In what Way Does The Credit System Affect Students’ Achievements?........... 62
Summary ................................................................................................................. 63
CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 64
Recommendations .................................................................................................. 65
Limitations .............................................................................................................. 65
Future Research ..................................................................................................... 66
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 68
APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................. 78
vi

APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................. 81
APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................. 84

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Advancements in Developed English Curriculum ......................................... 30
Table 2: Effectiveness of the Developed English Curriculum ..................................... 33
Table 3: Difficulties and Challenges ............................................................................ 38
Table 4: Teacher Preparation Needed .......................................................................... 41
Table 5: Students Age as A Percent of the Total Sample ............................................. 44
Table 6 : The Number of Participants from each School an Region ............................ 44
Table 7: Students’ Achievement .................................................................................. 46
Table 8: Teachers’ Abilities .......................................................................................... 49
Table 9: Students Responses Concerning the Textbook Content ................................. 52

vii

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Sample Learning Outcome (Mitchel & Malkogianni, 2016-17,Traveller 5
KSA-Edition. All Over the World. Unit 1 on Holiday unit 2 The Place to be (p. 7) ... 30
Figure 2: Sample Question (Mitchel & Malkogianni, 2016-17,Traveller 5 KSAEdition. All Over the World. Unit 1 on Holiday unit 2 The Place to be (p. 24)) ......... 34
Figure 3: Sample Activity (Mitchel & Malkogianni, 2016-17,Traveller 5- KSAEdition. Module 4 Round up. Units (7-8) p. 111) ........................................................ 35
Figure 4: Map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (blog.frontierstrategyggrroup.com)..45
Figure 5: Whether the course was a valuable experience ............................................ 46
Figure 6: Whether the course challenged students to do their best work .................... 47
Figure 7: Whether the flexibility in the credit system increased students’ desire to learn
...................................................................................................................................... 47
Figure 8: Whether students think that the teacher can deliver the course content excellently
...................................................................................................................................... 49
Figure 9: Whether the teacher helped students to understand the course .................... 50
Figure10 : Whether teaching method increased students’ understanding of the course’s
material ........................................................................................................................ 51
Figure 11: Whether the textbook helped students to better understand the course ...... 52
Figure 12: The textbook’s content greatly developed my skills .................................. 53
Figure 13: The textbook’s content corresponds with my abilities ............................... 53

viii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
As society evolves, it makes sense for countries to implement changes to their
education systems. Given the potential impact of education on people’s lives, in 2007
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began a comprehensive curriculum development
project on an experimental basis, and extended the program to all schools in 2008 (AlGabri, 2013). The key factor of this project was to develop a curriculum that satisfies
the requirements of the modern world, as well as attends to the needs and capabilities
of students. Since this newly developed curriculum was applied relatively recently,
very little is known about how effective this approach will be at enhancing students’
learning abilities or its impact on the teaching process.
Extensive research on this topic is needed to determine the strengths and
weaknesses of this comprehensive development of the curriculum project. Having a
curriculum that does not align with the requirements of contemporary society could
have a negative effect on society in the long run; whereas a curriculum that meets the
needs of modern society contributes to a positive trickle-down effect on citizen and
the economy (Bohm et al., 2015). Being a citizen of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(Saudi Arabia), and considering the importance of education and its impact on all
facets of society, I believe this to be an excellent field of study in which to pursue
research.
The inspiration for this study comes from my own experiences studying
English as a second language. This experience started when I decided to pursue
graduate school abroad. Despite having studied English as a second language during
my middle and high school years, getting my Master’s degree from a Canadian
university required improving my English skills. I had assumed that six years of
learning a foreign language would be enough to provide an edge for me in pursuing
such an endeavour. However, I was shocked after the first placement test that I took
at the King George Institute in Toronto. The placement test result showed that I was
at Level One in all English skills. I had thought of myself as being at least a level
better, taking into consideration the years I had already been studying English.
Underperforming my own expectations on that test was the first instance that made
me question the English curriculum in Saudi Arabia.
I spent eight months studying at King George Institute in Toronto. During that
1

time, I realized the skill that most Saudi students struggled with was writing. Each
writing class I was taking had a high proportion of Saudi students. It was remarkable
that almost all new Saudi students struggled with English. I began to ask myself: was
the cause a lack of talent, or was it evidence of a problem with Saudi Arabia’s
education system? How does this struggle with writing in English directly relate to
Saudi Arabia’s English curriculum? I thought during those eight months about these
things. I tried to recall the curriculum during my own school years, as well as the
teaching approach, and compared that with the English curriculum we were studying
in Canada. I could see the improvement in myself. Being taught by a native speaker
of English could be the reason for that improvement. Ke and Suzuki (2011) in their
article Teaching Global English with NNS-NNS Online Communication said that “In
the traditional [English language teaching] ELT paradigm, it is best that students learn
English from native speakers, who provide the correct forms and ways of using
English. Native speakers provide models for [English as a foreign language] EFL
learners to imitate” (p. 170). I grew to believe that there were some inconsistencies in
Saudi Arabia’s curriculum, with regards to how its students are taught to read and
write English.
After spending some time at King George Institute, I took the International
English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. Again, the graded results were
lower than my expectations for my English language performance. Consequently, I
applied to York University to study the English language in an academic environment,
which would prepare me to pass the English exam and apply to another Canadian
university to complete my Master’s. I was amazed by their method of teaching. The
professors highlighted how English existed in students’ daily lives, and encouraged us
to learn beyond the classroom from our environment. York focused on the
development of English language skills through reading newspapers, magazines,
watching movies, and reading novels and other books. Embedded in all of these
media are opportunities to become familiar with grammatical rules, to improve
reading comprehension, to observe English writing, and to make use of listening
skills. My English skills improved rapidly. Studying at York helped me to obtain the
required score on the IELTS exam when I was seriously thinking of taking my
Master’s degree in the field of education.
I have ambitions to make changes to the Saudi Arabian English language
2

curriculum. I completed my undergraduate degree in Art Education at King Saud
University in Saudi Arabia. Having previously taught in a high school for six months,
I also had practical experience with education, teaching, and school systems. I
planned to study educational leadership at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and to
research the Developed Curriculum in Saudi Arabia. More specifically, I wanted to
research the English curriculum—the field in which I had experienced problems once
I pursued studying abroad. My aim is to investigate this new curriculum’s
effectiveness on the newer generations.
The Developed Curriculum in Saudi Arabia
School curricula affect a student’s learning opportunities. The content of a
school’s curriculum directly affects the options available and the level of learning
provided to students. When there are changes in society, it is important for schools to
adapt their curricula appropriately. For example, as the use of technology in society
increases, the need for school curricula to include computer skills goes up. Roschelle
Pea, Hoadley, Gordin, and Means (2007) write in Changing How and What Children
Learn in School with Computer Based Technologies that students should develop
higher-order skills such as critical thinking, analysis, and scientific inquiry with the
use of computers as there is increasing demands to help students to be more prepared
for real life. “Schools today face ever-increasing demands in their attempts to ensure
that students are well equipped to enter the workforce and navigate a complex world”
(p. 76). The curriculum becomes the foundation on which schools build an
educational process that can support students in their efforts to achieve success in
society. Focusing on the development of a curriculum helps to create a generation
that can face life’s challenges and overcome all difficulties (Alghamdi, 2012).
Saudi Arabia has taken steps towards the development of a suitable
curriculum. It is commonly known in Saudi Arabia, that the movement towards
developing a new curriculum started early in the 21st century. There were some
critical responses connected with the educational curriculum in Saudi Arabia. Most of
the criticisms were aimed at the weakest points within the traditional curriculum, such
as its inability to meet a student’s needs and its dependence on teachers for the
educational process.
For many years, the educational process in Saudi Arabia has been solely
3

dependent on the teacher. Teachers transferred all the knowledge and information
they had to the students; then the students gleaned as much as they could from it (AlHiti, n.d.). Before 1925, educational activities in Saudi Arabia were limited to
mosques known as “Al-Katatib” (Al-Rumi & Al-Suydani, 2013). Al-Katatib is one of
the oldest educational centers of Muslims, and it was said that Al-Katatib was known
by Arabs before Islam, but on a very limited scale (Al-Sarijani, 2010). The position
of Al-Katatib in the first Hijri centuries was very high; it was considered like
elementary school in our time (Al-Sarijani, 2010). With further developments in
science, the concept of education shifted to schools, which relied mainly on teachers.
Schools at that time offered their students studies in science and knowledge that was
available from textbooks and teachers. The students’ duty was to remember all this
knowledge, including information they could not understand (Al-Gabri, 2013).
Over time, and with the development of science, the multiplicity of
disciplines, and the enormous increase in the volume of information, the educational
process moved towards specialization. The schooling process became layered into
different stages such as elementary, middle and high schools as well as universities
(Al-Rumi & Al-Suydani, 2013). Subject specialists prepared the curriculum, now
referred to as the ‘traditional curriculum’, and the evaluation of the students was
based on the contents centralized around just the particular subject. The teaching
methods that followed were based on direct instruction and indoctrination of the
curriculum’s materials, which did not conform or adapt to new learning needs. This
approach was designed to apply one style of teaching, and overlooked the importance
of other teaching tools. The students’ role was often non-participatory, and students
were judged based on their performance in each subject’s exam. For this traditional
curriculum style, the teacher’s role was essential to the learner.
As the years passed, educators came to believe that the traditional curriculum
did not achieve the desired educational goals, as the student outcomes were not
satisfactory. The effect of the traditional curriculum on students has been noted as
negative. The Department of Curriculum and Teaching Methods published a book
describing seven negative impacts of the traditional curriculum (n. d). Accordingly,
the Ministry of Education decided to elaborate on the need for an efficient
curriculum—which remains one of its main goal today (Ministry of Education,
Ministry of Higher Education, General Organization for Technical Education and
Vocational Training, 2004). Specialists in the field of education in Saudi Arabia
4

expressed confidence that the Ministry would be successful in building a strategy for
the development of the curriculum, which is widely considered a substantial
improvement in the current educational context (Aljamieah & Alshatre, 2010).
The modern education curriculum, the Developed Curriculum, is built around
all of the educational experiences that students are supposed to gain, both inside and
outside of the classroom. The intent is to help students to achieve comprehensive and
balanced growth including physical, mental, social, and psychological developments
(Ministry of Education et al., 2004). The idea is to provide each student with the
ability to fulfill their desired roles in society. The stakeholders in this modern
approach, who are the teachers, learners, and legislators, have certain common
educational objectives. These objectives focus on improving the educational content,
providing educational/instructional aides, modifying teaching methods, and making
assessments more efficient. As Al-Bisher and Al-Zahrani (2004) describe, “The
targeted educational development by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia
included structures and systems, regulations, teachers’ preparation programs, training
programs for integration of technology in education, evaluation and measurement
programs, and a comprehensive development of the curriculum” (p. 1). This
development in the educational field began because of the decisions by the
Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States, specifically after the discussions at its
twenty-third session in Doha, and the twenty-fourth in Kuwait.
The development of a new curriculum comes from the argument that there is a
need to keep abreast of international developments in the field of education. The
most prominent developments in the field of education in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia can be divided into five areas: (1) the designing field; (2) the educational
administration field; (3) the educational programs field; (4) the measurement and
evaluation field; and (5) the curriculum development field. This thesis will focus on
the fifth area, the curriculum development field.
In the curriculum development field, the Ministry of Education focused on the
development of all aspects of the curriculum. Starting with the educational plans,
school textbooks, teaching methods, methods and techniques of education, methods of
educational evaluation, student counseling and activity, and the provision of health
care services, and is concerned with the development of teachers’ training programs
(Al-Bisher & Al-Zahrani, 2004).
5

The Comprehensive Development Project for Curricula is an essential
element in this field that the Ministry is seeking to achieve its goals (Al-Bisher & AlZahrani, 2004). The project is defined as a national project and aims to develop all
elements of the curriculum according to the latest theories and methods of education
and contemporary scientific approach. The Ministry of Education, in partnership with
educational institutions like national and private government academies, undertook
the curriculum planning, implementation, and evaluation (Al-Habashan, 2012). This
project aimed to achieve important goals, such as ensuring that the curriculum
contains modern approaches to curriculum building, including the ability to develop
critical thinking skills, problem-solving, self-learning, collaborative learning and good
communication with knowledge sources. The project also focused on the
improvement of students’ performance skills with learning by working through, and
practicing, different activities. In addition, the project was anticipated to give the
student the freedom to choose the appropriate activities for their abilities and desires,
within the limits of their academic strengths. Finally, the project sought to establish a
link between the curriculum and the educational process with the experiences of the
students by focusing on scientific examples derived from their daily lives (AlHabashan, 2012). This new curriculum became known as the Developed Curriculum.
The Developed Curriculum adopted three books for each course: namely, the
student’s book; the activity book; and the teacher’s guide. This same title had been
given to the set of books that were used in the traditional curriculum; however, the
three books were not available for subjects such as mathematics or science (AlAubudi, 2010). In the developed curricula, the three books are available for all
subjects.
The basic reference is the student’s book, which both teacher and student
depend on as the main source of information. The activity book is considered a
support to the student book. Then, fundamentally, the teacher’s guide is considered to
function as an important reference for teachers by assisting them in choosing the
proper educational methods. The new curriculum requires discussion, analysis,
critical thinking skills, knowledge, and experience from students in their day-to-day
lives. Moreover, it helps teachers by providing them with examples and necessary
educational information to achieve the required curriculum goals.
The Ministry of Education launched several strategic projects for curriculum
development in the Kingdom: The Comprehensive Curriculum Project, the Science
6

and Mathematics project, and the Credit System Project for secondary school
students, and the Development of English Language Education Project. The Credit
System Project is “a new secondary education structure consisting of a joint program
taught for all students that branches into two specialized tracks; one for humanities
and the other for natural sciences” (Ministry of Education, 2011, p. 7). This new
project aims at several goals, including, but not limited to:
a) the system of class hours recorded by the student in each semester;
b) quarterly and cumulative rating system;
c) an integrated curriculum system that connects courses to enable the student
to acquire the skills and practical aspects, preparing the students for life
and the labor market;
d) Quality methods in teaching, learning, and new tools for evaluation
(Ministry of Education, 2011, p. 7).
The credit system aims to improve learning in a holistic manner by
addressing the personality of the learner from cognitive, physical, and psychological
aspects. The basic approach to the credit system is a change of foundational
approaches to classroom opportunities; most noticeably, the integration of courses,
and flexibility. First, the integration of courses that the system offers for study is a
plan distributed in the form of required courses, and elective courses. The student has
a maximum of seven courses, each course about five hours. Students also take
elective courses which enrich her or his learning experience and support their energies
by improving on the students’ preferences and talents. Second, the flexibility in this
system allows the students to register the number of hours he or she wishes to study
for each semester. In addition, the credit system gives the students the opportunity for
deletion and addition from the offered courses; also offered a summer semester if they
want to complete extra hours (Ministry of Education, 2011).
Aljamieah and Alshathri (2010), the Ministry of Education has succeeded with
distinction in the construction of the curriculum development strategy, otherwise
known as “the three projects”. These encompass the implementation of initialization
programs, the preparation for the application in the educational environment, and the
programs for professional development and training operations of the application of
the curriculum in the educational field.
Despite the perceived importance of these efforts, there have been concerns
over the lack of proper training for the teachers and the non-availability of adequate
7

infrastructure needed for a successful implementation of this program. The
Developed Curriculum has been implemented in many schools since 2010 (AlAubudi, 2010). However, the lack of training for teachers; insufficient transition
preparation for the individuals’ preparation; a lack of necessary equipment in schools;
and the lack of preparation for families to accommodate this change, hindered the
achievement of the new curriculum’s primary developmental goal (Aljamieah &
Alshathri, 2010). Having a successful Developed Curriculum implementation will
eventually result in creating a knowledgeable generation who are capable of building
up its own country (Aljamieah & Alshathri, 2010).
A study of male fourth grade teachers by Al-Habashan (2012) indicated some
problems with the Developed Curriculum. The study showed that there were some
challenges for teachers who were implementing the new Developed Curriculum in
their classes. The first problem associated with the new curriculum was that
classroom teachers were not sufficiently educated about the new teaching methods.
The most important issue, according to Al-Habashan was the lack of participation
from teachers in the design and authorship of the Developed Curriculum. The
teacher participants also indicated that the compensation that they were given for their
work was not sufficient enough to give them the incentive to do all the extra work to
learn and then teach a new curriculum. The survey results showed that teachers felt
that they had not been adequately rewarded financially for the implementation of the
curriculum (pp. 7-8). This thesis will show that for female teachers of secondary
school classrooms, similar issues were named.
Statement of the Problem
Saudi Arabia has sought to provide an educational curriculum commensurate
with the requirements and capabilities of its students’ practical and social life. To
achieve that, Saudi Arabia has started a comprehensive project for the development of
curricula. The project focused on the development of a flexible curriculum, which
features interactive qualities. Moreover, it is aimed at simplifying academic topics in
order to guide learners by building a clear overview that would direct the behavior of
the young generation while dealing effectively with the problems that they might face
in real life. The subjects in this new approach require interactive methods, analysis,
critical thinking, knowledge, and experience to improve students’ skills.
The Ministry of Education focused on the development of a curriculum that
8

would meet the students’ needs, fulfill the requirements for the national
developmental plans, and fulfill the needs of the labor market (Al-Aubudi, 2010). All
the elements of the curriculum were developed based on the latest theories, scientific
methods, and modern psychology, which were the goals of this project (Al-Bisher &
Al-Zaharani, 2004). The government sought to develop the quality of education to
ensure educational outcomes contributing effectively to the country’s development.
The result of this endeavour by the government was the Developed
Curriculum. In 2010, the pilot phase of the Developed Curriculum project came to an
end. In 2011, the dissemination stage began throughout the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabian schools (Al-Abudie, 2010). However, very little was known about how
effective this approach would be at enhancing students’ academic achievement,
especially with the English Developed Curriculum. The English Developed
Curriculum is one aspect of the newly introduced Developed Curriculum in Saudi
Arabia. The English Developed Curriculum has been applied to Saudi Arabian high
schools and is a product of the Development of English Language Education Project.
While there have been many studies of the Developed Curriculum and its general
application to schools, there have been only a few studies about the English
Developed Curriculum, and specifically its use by female students in secondary
schools. Therefore, there is a serious need for a field study to explore the
effectiveness of the English Developed Curriculum in female secondary schools and
its impact on the teaching and learning process.
Significance of the Study
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts on English language
acquisition of the shift from the traditional curriculum to the English Developed
Curriculum in secondary schools, and to review the preparations that teachers were
expected to make in order to implement this curriculum effectively. Accordingly, this
study aims to examine the impact of this shift on student achievement, to identify the
obstacles that are limiting its effectiveness, and to analyze the difficulties that teachers
have encountered. This study provides a recommendation on how to overcome
identified barriers, and seeks to answer the following questions:
1. How does the new secondary English curriculum impact student
achievement?
2. How will teachers prepare for the new curriculum?
9

3. In what ways does the credit system affect the students’ achievement?
Summary
An overview of the shift from the traditional curriculum to the Developed
Curriculum in Saudi Arabia was presented and explained. Having identified the need,
purpose, and significance of the proposed shift from the traditional curriculum to the
English Developed Curriculum, it is important to understand what is already known
about this topic. Thus, the next chapter will review existing literature on the subject.

10

CHAPTER II: ROAD TO THE DEVELOPED CURRICULUM
The shift from the traditional curriculum to the Developed Curriculum is of
interest to my and currently considered a focus for many researchers in Saudi Arabia
(Al-Harbi, 2012; Alghamdi, 2012; Al-Habashan, 2012). Based on my concern and
passion for studying, learning, and education, the shift from the traditional curriculum
to the developed one, as well as its perceived impact on the educational process in
Saudi Arabia, has become a major area of interest. The studies that have been done
on this topic is very limited, because of the recent application of the curriculum in all
schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In this section, previous research on the concept of curriculum development
will be discussed. This will begin with an overview of the development of curricula
for public education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which began in 2004. We begin
by looking at the definition of ‘curriculum’ addressing the vital question: ‘what is a
curriculum?’
According to Bobbitt (1918), a curriculum could be defined in two ways.
First, it is “the entire range of experiences, both undirected and directed, concerned in
unfolding the abilities of the individual” (p. 45). Then, second, “it is the series of
consciously directed training experiences that the schools use for completing and
perfecting the unfolding” (p. 13). Though perhaps the specific meaning of curriculum
differs from one person to another, Bobbitt’s definition provides us with the basis of
the understanding that a curriculum is the outline by which schools maintain
consistency in the content taught to students. In Saudi Arabia, researchers often
define curriculum as Manhuj, which, according to Bahamam (2008), in Arabic means
something like “the way an individual pursues a particular goal” (p. 39). For a better
understanding, the definition of curriculum in Saudi Arabia can be divided into three
categories: the linguistic concept, the old concept, and the modern concept. As
education has evolved in Saudi Arabia, the understanding of “curriculum” has
expanded. The other two definitions, noted below, identify further meaning as the
term “curriculum” has developed. Here we have provided two concepts to contribute
towards a better understanding of what “curriculum” meant in Saudi Arabia and how
it has come to be in modern day.

11

The Linguistic Concept
In the Arabic language, “curriculum” is derived from a perspective, which
means a clear path that. That means a clear method, and the word ‘method’ in the
Arabic language means it is identified as the specific way to reach a certain goal
(Eatia, Hussain, & Hilmi, 2003). Thus, a curriculum is the method with which
students are provided to achieve their educational goals.
The linguistic concept cannot be applied to teaching or learning English
language. The linguistic concept is, however, the most common and basic form of
understanding a curriculum in Arab regions. This concept means that all studies have
their root in the holy book of the Qur’an.
The Old Concept
The old concept is associated with educational theories that were famous some
centuries ago, whereby the child goes to school as a blank paper, and the school has
the duty to fill it with accumulated human heritage and diverse human experiences
(Al-Hiti, n.d).
The Modern Concept
This concept is a shift from the traditional approach and was designed to
accommodate the realities of the 21st century. In this case, researchers defined
curriculum in recognition of the academic goals of this era. According to Abdulsalam
(2006), curriculum modern concept can be defined as “The system consists of inputs,
processes, outputs and feedback as it seeks to prepare individuals who benefit
themselves and their Arab and Islamic nations and is able to take responsibility and
achieve comprehensive development in the society” (p. 274). The modern concept is
the basis for the Developed Curriculum in that there is a shift towards including
feedback from students and an on-going evaluation of needs for education in the new
curriculum models.
From Traditional Curriculum to Developed Curriculum
Abdulsalam (2006) referred to the concept of developing educational curricula
as being meant for one, or both, of the following processes:
1. To introduce a new curriculum or build a new curriculum that was not
previously present in a particular classroom or stage.
2. To improve the current curriculum and modernize and introduce scientific
12

amendments to become more appropriate and meet the conditions and
changes and achieve the desired goals (p. 286).
Despite the changing concept of education, schools in Saudi Arabia had
problems keeping up with the rapid growth of knowledge in the world. What students
studied in the past appeared to be no longer compatible with the academic and
educational realities of today. Public criticism rose up against the schools that mainly
rely on their teachers for academic success. Criticism was directed towards the
schools primarily because the public believed that teachers provided an overwhelming
amount of academic content without a specific goal. Such schools were criticized for
not involving the students in the educational process. This traditional approach was
considered incompatible with current educational requirements. In response, a new
approach to educational curricula has appeared that is consistent with psychology,
learning theory, science, and cultural integration.
This shift from traditional to Developed Curriculum is of particular interest at
this time in Saudi Arabia because of the government’s interest in reimagining the
educational system in the country. The development of all elements of education are a
considerable part of the Saudi Arabian Vision 2030. This visioning process is
concerned with encouraging the development of various sections of the country’s
economy, with a particular interest in the education sector (Al-Harbi, 2016). The
vision is that the focus will be on the early stages of education and on the continued
education of teachers and educational leadership in addition to curriculum
development (Al-Harbi, 2016).
Al-Habashan (2012) has studied the use of the curriculum by male teachers in
male classrooms for fourth grade students. He noted that there are some issues, as
were given in the introduction of this thesis; namely, the issue of the new teaching
methods being a problem for the teachers. He also discovered other issues for the
adoption of the new Developed Curriculum by male teachers in the elementary grade
four such as problems related to the activities and teaching aids of the Developed
Curriculum. There were struggles for some students to afford the materials required
for all their classes that used the Developed Curriculum and general problems with
regional differences in Saudi Arabia and the expectation that the Developed
Curriculum could be applied universally across the country (p. 8). As the Developed
Curriculum is to be applied to all the educational areas, English language studies are
also affected.
13

The English Developed Curriculum
The English Developed Curriculum is considered to be a product of the
Development of English Language Education Project, which was based on Section 50
of the educational policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, introduced in 1970 (Alharbi, 2012, p. 61). This policy mandated that the education system must:
(1) Provide students with at least one of the major international languages
(such as English or French) in addition to their native language for the
fields of science, arts, and other relevant areas of study.
(2) Transfer the norms and values of Saudi culture to other societies in order
to spread Islam and serve humanity (Al-Marefh, 2012).
To implement this policy, the project began as one of the most important
initiatives of the General Directorate of Curricula in the Planning and Development
Agency. The application of the project started in the 2008-09 academic year, within
the 61 schools that operated on the credit system. After that, the project was
expanded to all schools in the Kingdom. A total of six global companies participated
in the production of the series of English curriculum dedicated to the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabi (Al-Harbi, 2012, p. 3). A shift toward this curriculum has taken place in
several stages in Saudi Arabia, most notably the application of English developed
curriculum for secondary stage (Al-Marefh, 2012).
Project Objectives
The particular objectives of the Developing English Language Education
project are identified as the following:
1. Comprehensive development of English language books, courses and
accompanying educational materials in public education;
2. Focus on raising the standards of teaching and learning the English language
for the students to achieve the necessary development;
3. Transfer the experience of advanced companies in the curriculum industry
through scientific and methodological employment in a manner that is
compatible with the local environment;
4. Achieving the requirements of higher education institutions and the labour
markets by raising the efficiency of secondary school graduates;
5. Developing the learning and teaching process and building the professional
capacity of English language teachers (Almaerifa, 2012).
14

Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, the former minister of education in the Kingdom,
described the current curriculum as a carefully crafted academic tool. In his view, this
program was crafted according to a scientific methodology that seeks to maximize the
contents of the books in line with the education policy in the Kingdom (Alfal, 2012).
The articulation and creation of this curriculum brought together a team of academics,
educators, and scientists from different disciplines. It is also periodically subjected to
follow-up through specialized committees (Alfal, 2012).
It been shown that there is a drop in Saudi students’ level of English language
in public schools with the traditional curriculum. A study by Al-Zuhairi (1999) about
the reasons for the weaknesses of the achievement of middle school students in
learning English language was completed from the point of view of academics,
teachers and supervisors in the cities of Mecca and Taif. The study found many
reasons for the drop in the students’ level of English language. The primary reasons
for the drop related to the curriculum and the teaching methods. Regarding the
curriculum, what we call now the traditional curriculum, Al-Zuhairi found that the
course was limited in providing the students with information only (p. 92). Also, he
found that the content was higher than the students’ abilities. Regarding the teaching
methods, he found a lack of active participation by students in the learning process of
English language, which affected their achievement, as well as a lack of the use of
modern techniques and the use of different methods.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Education adopted and applied a number of series
of the English Developed Curriculum for secondary level education. Different
publishers named and published each of the series used in secondary education:
Traveller, Flying High, Mega Goal, and Challenges. This study focused on one
series: Travellers.
Traveller Series
The production of the Traveller series was overseen by MM Publications
Company. The producer was of the opinion that the English Developed Curriculum
had been trusted and loved by thousands of teachers and students around the world.
They argued that the methodology combined solid grammar and vocabulary practice
with thorough preparation in all four essential skills of language learning (Mitchell &
Malkogianni, 2017). The publisher offered six grade levels. That said, the last
required level in the credit school system is level five, taking the sixth level is made
15

optional for students. The series comes in two packages. The first one is for the
students: containing the student book, and the workbook (which includes a CD). The
second package was designed for the teachers: containing the teacher’s manual, a
copy of the student’s book dedicated to the teacher with the, which has all the right
answers for the exercises, and a CD to use in the class. The teacher’s package also
included a placement test, materials to use on a smart board, and reference CD that
contained tests, and exercises for all skills such as grammar, vocabulary, reading, and
speaking (Mitchell & Malkogianni, 2016-17).
Traveller Series Features
1. Contemporary topics with multicultural and cross-curricular information.
2. Lively dialogues presenting real spoken English;
3. An integrated approach to the development of the four skills (writing,
reading, speaking and listening);
4. Particular emphasis on vocabulary building;
5. Grammar presented and practiced in context;
6. Systematic development of reading and listening skills and sub-skills;
7. A variety of communicative tasks;
8. A step-by-step approach to writing;
9. Activities that encourage critical thinking;
10. Practical tips that helped students to become autonomous learners (Mitchell
& Malkogianni, 2017).
In reviewing studies done on the Traveller and Aim High series, a research was
discovered. A study by Al-Harbi (2012) entitled, "Analyzing the Content of English
Language Textbooks for the Secondary Grade and Evaluating them in the Light of
Suggested Criteria for Linguistic Proficiency,” aimed to define the proficiency
standards for English language courses, and determined the availability of those
standards in Traveller and Aim High series.
The study used a descriptive method in which the researcher analyzed the
content of the textbooks from the chosen series in level one and two for both series to
describe and collect data for the objectives of the study.
Al-Harbi found that the standards of the proficiency of English language were
not available to a high degree beyond the intermediate level in all four linguistic skills
for both series. Also, proficiency standards were not available in a mid-degree
16

beyond the advanced level for the same series. In addition, the standards were not
available at all in the proficient and mastery levels for both series (p. 138-139).
Similarly, a study by Al-Harbi (2015), from a descriptive-evaluative
perspective on an Saudi EFL textbook series (Flying High) in female secondary
school was published by Macmillan publishing house. The goal of this study is to
evaluate Flying High textbooks for Saudi Arabia developed by Macmillan Publishing.
For the purposes of the study, the researcher used a quantitative method. The
participants were female high school English language teachers from Taif city in a
new high school project for girls.
The study generally showed that the teachers’ assessment of the textbook was
generally positive; however, there were some aspects that could be viewed as
shortcomings that both checklists disclosed. “The shortcomings of the textbook
contents are related to the learners’ culture and environment, the structures with
regard to differences between L1 and L2 cultures, and problems of usage related to
social background” (p.15).
Despite the development of the English curriculum, students’ language skills
and the level of the language in public education was below the expectations of the
Ministry of Education (Alqarni, 2015). According to the British Council English
Language Market Reports: Gulf States-Saudi Arabia (2016), “The effectiveness of
Saudi Arabia’s educational policy of introducing EFL in government schools from
primary level has been limited” also “the average level of English proficiency in
Saudi Arabia remains one of the lowest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
region, and internationally” (p. 3). The report aimed to provide further insight on the
new development that was happing in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in various fields,
and its impact on Saudi citizens, for the purpose of making decisions regarding the
recruitment of Saudi EFL students in the future.
The drop in the students’ level in the language might be due to several reasons.
To illustrate, it is very challenging to learn a language in isolation from the
environment in which it originated. According to Chia-Lin Hsin (n.d), culture and
language teaching are connected to each other. “The interrelationship between
language and culture provides a foundation to the idea that learning as FL is learning
an aspect of foreign culture” (Hsin, n.d., p. 2). In addition, Alqarni (2015) noted other
reasons of the drop in the Saudi students’ level in English language, such as the
weakness of the application of interactive methods in teaching English in public
17

schools.
There are also some other issues that could affect the teaching and learning of
the English language in Saudi Arabia. However, to take a closer look at the learning
and teaching process of English language, the reality of teaching English in public
education schools must be investigated. A recent study by Alfuraih and Mitchell
(2017) provided research that gave a comprehensive overview of the development of
English language education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on English language
curriculum for elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels. The study focused on
the teachers’ perspectives of the English Developed Curriculum by surveying 3,700
teachers for the grade levels and both genders (male and female). One outcome of
Alfuraih and Mitchell’s study was that:
There is a need for structured professional development programs for teachers
in a range of areas; curriculum, textbooks, pedagogies, proficiency, time
management, motivating and engaging the students and (perhaps) teaching
mixed level classes. The pedagogy training is coupled with the high number
of teachers who reported they need English proficiency training indicates that
a range of measures need to be introduced to improve teaching practices and
strive towards excellence in teaching and learning (of English) throughout the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (p. 324.)
These studies continue to show the rapid progress and development that is
taking place in the current period requires reconsidering the teaching methods
employed. This plays an important and prominent role in language integration with
the components of the curriculum for the success of the educational process in
achieving its objectives. The modern teaching methods aim to be the focus of the
educational process; the knowledge seeker and product are no longer passive
recipients. This view was described by Mespel (2015) who noted that contrary to
traditional teaching methods, which she saw as having resulted in a loss of value in
educational output, the modern system provided a step forward qualitatively. Simply
put, students’ classroom experience has shifted towards a more integrated approach,
allowing them to participate and share their own life experiences instead of passively
memorizing and repeating information.
There are three essential dimensions of the teaching methods: the relationship
of teaching English language with the communication approach; the relationship
between teaching method and school’s environment; and the relationship of teaching
methods and the students’ achievement. As the Developed Curriculum uses the
18

communicative approach as the focal point of broadening student learning of the
English language, we will address this style of teaching here below.
The Communicative Approach and Teaching English
The communicative approach considers as an educational input that the
English language teaching in Saudi Arabia needs real life situations as this approach is
one of the new teaching strategies that insert to the educational process with the
development of the currciula. The theory of communicative language teaching (CLT)
is to engage the learners in communication to help them to improve their
communicative competence. This approach was developed in the 20 th century by
European and North-American scholars through which the elaboration of CLT can be
traced to the concurrent 20th century developments in linguistic theory and learning
curriculum design, both in Europe and North America (Kasumi, 2015, p. 155). The
application of this approach means teaching the language through realistic situations
in which students can practice the four language skills of English—listening,
speaking, reading, and writing—in order to interact and communicate with the right
language context. Hamid, (1990) gave a specific definition for this approach which is
“a viable approach which allows as well as encourages students’ autonomous
interaction in the classroom through genuine communication” (p. 103). A study by
Shawer (2010), that used an idiographic strategy (qualitative case study). The
researcher used qualitative interviews, participant observation and questioners’
instruments. This study examined the influence of the teachers’ understanding of
communicative language teaching on their classroom activities and students cognitive
and affective change. The research discovered that teachers who understood CLT and
managed to put its principles into action significantly improved student language
learning (cognitive change) and motivation (affective change).
Another study has shown that the communicative approach to teaching the
English language has been beneficial and effective for second language learners. A
study by Le Luo (2013) entitled “Improving English as a Second Language (ESL)
Pedagogy in One Univerity in Ontario” aimed to improve teaching pedegaogy in a
university in Ontario. This study used mixed methods to investigate the issues by
interviewing three senior English Langauge Program (ELP) teachers, and surveying
45 Chinese students who were planning to continue their studies at Canadian
universites. In studying theoretical, pedagogical, and practical approaches, while
19

drawing on English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, approaches, and practices,
with Chinese ESL students’ achievement and learning needs, Le Luo concluded that
“The three communicative pedagogical approaches, including communicative,
task-based, and content-based language teaching approaches proved to be effective for
English as a Foreign Language Chinese students regarding their language
acquisition.” (p. 90).
There are many problems associated with the application of the
communicative approach and other modern strategies in teaching English in Saudi
Arabia that may limit the effectiveness of English language education. According to a
study by Al-Nasser (2015) entitled “Problems of English Language Acquisition in
Saudi Arabia: An Exploratory-cum-remedial Study” there are many problems that the
Saudi students face in learning the English language. Al-Nasser used direct
interviews with seven students presently studying English, and unstructured
interviews with English teachers, and headmasters to investigate the issues. A
considerable part of those problems found in his study are relevant to the teachers.
The findings from his study shows that the teachers do not communicate actively with
the students while teaching. Al-Nasser concluded that “the teachers are not well
trained, neither as language teachers nor as behavioural science teachers” (p. 1616).
In addition, “Information and communication technology (ICT) is not used for
teaching English, and electronic devices are not used to make learning interesting and
more effective to the students” (p. 1616). As Mespel (2015) noted, most students
who graduate from secondary school are unable to use the English language to
communicate even though pre-university English courses are designed with the
communicative language approach.
A large number of high school graduates do not master English, nor do they
have the necessary skills to master the language. That may be due to several reasons,
one of which is the importance of being surrounded by those who can support your
studies. When learning the English language, it helps the learner to be situated in an
encouraging context; one where the learner can also practice what they have learned
in school. Kashfun Nahar found in his study entitled, The Impact of Social Context in
Students Second Language Learning that social context impacted students’ second
language (English) learning. He found that “the students who have grown up in an
encouraging environment learn better English than other students” (p. 36). Nahar also
concluded that “it’s clear that environment or surrounding context have an essential
20

role in students’ English learning as second language” (p. 36). Students studying
English in a context where there are few other English speakers around them might
find that there is little encouragement to practice the language outside the classroom.

The Relationship between Teaching Method and School’s Environment
Al-Habashan’s study (2012) showed that a problem that influences the
application of the Developed Curriculum in Saudi Arabia is associated with the
teaching aids also referred to as the educational equipment. The results of his study
showed that “the building and fixtures in the school do not help to carry out activities
of the developed curriculum and the school also suffered from the weakness of the
school’s readiness to use and preserve teaching aids” (p. 5). Providing the schools
with the necessary equipment to implement modern teaching methods is one of the
most important factors in the success of the Developed Curriculum, and has been
found to affect the learning and teaching process. In addition, a study by Al-Nafiie
(2013) focused on the difficulties of the application of classroom activities for firstyear secondary teachers and students. The researcher used a quantitative method to
answer the research questions. She used two different surveys for two different group
of participants (teachers and students). Al-Nafie surveyed 25 English teachers who
are teaching the English Developed Curriculum in Mecca city, and 196 first grade
secondary students who are studying the new curriculum. The study found that there
is difficulty associated with teaching aids. The problem comes because there is a
failure to provide a budget for the appropriate educational means such as smart board
or projector for the implementation of the activities in the English Developed
Curriculum (p. 119).
Beyond materials, the implementation of new teaching methods is not always
a smooth transition. Richards and Rodgers note, “Efforts to improve the effectiveness
of language teaching have often focused on changes in teaching methods” (p. 3). A
study by Alzahrani (2016) entitled “Saudi Students’ Experiences of Learning English
in English as a Foreign and Second Language Settings” aimed to investigate the
reasons that impact the Saudi students’ studying experiences, self-confidence, and
their perspective in English language learning. The study examined that impact in
two learning environments, learning English as a Forgien Language (EFL) and
English as Second Language (ESL), which are linked to their language proficiency.
21

Alzahrani, (2016) used a qualitative approach by interviewing 10 adult
students who were studying in two language schools in Halifax, Canada. The study
found that to some extent, EFL contributed to their basic English language skills. In
addition, there were also negative factors in this learning environment such as fear of
using English language in the classroom as there were stereotypes about the English
language been difficult to learn in Saudi Arabia. However, the ESL learning
environment contributed more benefits to their language acquisition, as there were
positive factors that the Saudi students found more significant to their achievement in
the language. These benefits were congruent with the English Developed Curriculum
goals including more student participation, greater use of the four language skills
during class time, and better use of communicative approach.
The Relationship Between Teaching Methods and the Students’ Achievement
When the Ministry of Education developed the schools’ curriculum, their
primary focus was to empower the students and improve the role they play in the
teaching and learning process. That was highly emphasised in changing the
traditional way of teaching: making the student participate more in the educational
process. The Ministry of Education organized numerous training programs for the
teachers in which some were mainly focused on teaching strategies. A study by
Hussain, Inamullan, Neseer, & Hafizatullan (2009) that examined the two-different
methods of English language teaching, the direct method and the traditional method
on the students’ achievement by using pre-test and post-test on two group of grads 9
how studied English under those different methods in Federal Government boys
secondary school in Islamabad. The study found that “the direct teaching method is
more effective as a teaching-learning technique for English in comparison to the
traditional teaching method. Students in the direct teaching method outscored the
students working in the traditional learning situation.” (p. 48). Similar benefit of
using different learning and teaching methods found in Alzahrani’s (2016) study,
most of the participants emphasized the importance of using activities in
learning English. This was the strategy they benefited most from in building
their language skills in ESL classrooms. The students found it extremely
effective to learn English by using educational activities (p. 51.)
Saudi Arabia has gone through significant changes in developing the schools’
curriculum. The Ministry of Education has made many efforts to improve the
educational process.
22

Summary
Although Saudi Arabia has taken bold steps towards the development of
curricula for a better future, there are still weaknesses that the Ministry of Education
must address. Of these needs, the most important issue is teacher training, in order to
enable them to become more qualified to teach this curriculum. Another area of
utmost importance is community awareness. The local community needs to
understand the importance of education for creating a healthy society. The
fundamental question is whether the shift in English teaching from the traditional
curriculum to the Developed Curriculum increases the achievement for third-grade,
senior, secondary female students.

23

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY
This research investigated two administrative hubs within Saudi Arabia known
as the Central and Western Regions. The two specific zones were chosen based on
their population and their relatively welcoming attitudes towards change compared to
other regions in the country. This was considered important so as to provide deeper
insight into the effectiveness of the Developed Curriculum and to create an
understanding of what obstacles might be limiting the accomplishing of the
anticipated objectives of the new teaching and learning approach. Before conducting
the study, the researcher sought and received approval from Thompson River
University’s Ethical Review Board, and then proceeded to data collection.
Research Design and Instruments
This study utilized a mixed method design approach. Creswell and Plano
Clary (2011) defined this research method as a “procedure for collecting, analyzing,
and ‘mixing’ both quantitative and qualitative methods in a single study or series of
studies to understand a research problem” (p. 537). The benefit of this method is that
it can improve the accuracy of the evidence gathered by drawing a clearer picture of
the research problem, through which some valuable findings could be made.
Creswell (2015) identifies six types of mixed methods design: “the
convergent design, the explanatory sequential design, the exploratory sequential
design, the experimental design, the social justice design, and multi-stage evaluation
design” (p. 543). The convergent design was selected for this study because of its
ability to provide comparative analysis for separate sets of data, which in this case
involves students and teachers. Data collection was carried out in the form of an
online survey and phone interviews between February 23rd and April 30th, 2017. These
data were analyzed separately, and then the results were interpreted and compared.
The online survey results offered significant findings pertaining to the new
curriculum, its effectiveness, and how it impacts students’ achievement. Phone
interviews also provided the researcher with rich, descriptive qualitative data—giving
a personalized perspective on the shift of English education from the traditional to the
Developed Curriculum. The phone interviews thus further supported the interpretation
of the quantitative results.

24

The Convergent Design
It is clear that “the complexity and diversity of mixed methods approach mean
that definition and typology have become critical to good practice” (Lisle, 2011, p.
92). Thus, here I will specify the intent of the design used for this research. The
fundamental rationale behind the convergent design is that one data collection
supports the other in situations where there are difficulties with regards to
understanding the research problem. This could be attributed to the assumption
commonly made by some researchers that qualitative data (open-ended data) and
quantitative data (closed-ended data) provide different results in a study and can,
therefore, be used as a check for one another (Creswell, 2015). The purpose of this
design is to analyze both sets of data independently, from which the result would be
compared, and clarifications made on whether the results converged or diverged. This
design was used in analyzing data collected from both quantitative and qualitative
research tools. It helped in merging data, correlating the results, and explaining the
divergences that exist sometimes.
Participants
Before sending invitations to potential participants, written permission was
sought and obtained from The Department of Education in each of the two regions
(Central and Western). The researcher solicited the assistance of her family members
in undergoing the permission process. The official documents were sent
electronically through email. When an approval to proceed was granted by the
educational authorities in both jurisdictions, a total of nine teachers were invited.
Teachers were chosen on the basis of referrals from friends and acquaintances, some
of the teachers were also referred to the researcher by their colleagues by phone and
emails. As for the students’ participants, they were encouraged to participate by the
help of the English teachers and school’s principals. In the end, six senior secondary
English teachers completed the interview, and 108 senior secondary students
responded to the survey. The All the participants (both teachers and students) are
females, chosen from public schools within the Western and Central regions of Saudi
Arabia. As a female herself the schools to which the researcher had access were all
female schools, this was the most straight-forward approach. Three teachers were
chosen from each region respectively, from among those who have taught the two
25

different curricula: traditional and developed. Each participant was given the
flexibility of selecting a convenient time and interview tool of her choices from
options such as Skype, YesCall, and LINE applications which were recorded and
transcribed after for the analyses process. For reasons of anonymity and convenience,
the participants were identified as P1, P2... to P6
The survey was distributed via a website link (see Appendix B). The first page
of the online survey was a consent form for participants to review. They expressed
their agreement by completing the survey. This means that participation was
voluntary. Participants were also given the option to withdraw if they wanted to do so
after the completion of the survey. The researcher’s information was provided for this
purpose.
The study focused on one series of the English Developed Curriculum called
Traveller, hence the teachers chosen were among those teaching this series. All 108
of the senior secondary schools’ students, who had finished the last required course,
level 5, of English language Traveller, were encouraged to participate in this study,
and all of them responded. For the interviews, teachers at the senior secondary high
schools were asked to take part in this study.
Data Collection
Interview
The interview was focused on in-service English teachers. The researcher
decided that they were in the best position as they have thought both curriculum
reveal the differences between teaching by traditional method and Developed
Curriculum and to show the importance of special educational programs for teaching
English. The challenges that the teachers faced while teaching the Developed
Curriculum were also examined, as well as how it impacts the students’ achievements.
Each teacher was asked questions in connection with the following topics:
a) The differences between the traditional and English Developed
Curriculum; regarding the content and strategies.
b) The impact of it on students’ performance, achievement, and the teaching
process.
c) The difficulties they faced teaching the English Developed Curriculum.
26

d) The teachers’ educational programs needed for more preparation to teach
the English Developed Curriculum.
A total of six separate interviews were conducted with the teachers. The
interview questions were focused on the topic of the English Developed Curriculum.
The interviews were conducted in English, as the English teachers are considered
bilingual. The interview questions were sent ahead to the participants through emails
to prepare for the interview. This step was done to make the participants more
confident during the interview as they could anticipate what they would be asked.
The nature of questions being open-ended, and some direction provided by the
interviewer, guided a generous interpretation. The aim was to determine the impact of
the English Developed Curriculum on student achievement, expose some of the major
obstacles that limit its effectiveness, as well as underline the need for preparation to
better the application. The selection of a structured form of interviews was
determined by the research questions which deal with relatively well-researched
concepts. The interviews were analyzed according to themes after all data were
collected. For more details about the interview questions, see Appendix A.
Survey
This method was used in the collection of the quantitative information from
secondary school students. The survey assisted in clarifying the issues, measuring the
effectiveness of the Developed Curriculum, determining to what extent the developed
curriculum met the students’ needs, and ascertaining how the students see their
teachers’ abilities and skills in delivering the English Developed Curriculum for the
propose of investigate the teachers’ preparation needs from the students’ perspective.
Each participant was given fourteen closed-ended questions. It took respondents
between three to ten minutes to complete the online survey (see Appendix C). The
survey was conducted in Arabic, which is the mother tongue of the students. They
were asked about the new curriculum’s content, how it helped their achievement, to
what extent their English teacher is capable of teaching the Developed Curriculum
effectively, and the efficiency of the credit system as it is part of the development of
the curriculum in Saudi Arabia. The survey was constructed with the assistance of the
researcher’s thesis supervisor, and was based largely on previous survey designs
prepared by TRU professors (Dr. Patrick Walton and Dr. Edward Howe).

27

Data Analysis
No software was used for the analysis of the qualitative data. The analysis
was done based on common emerging themes and patterns (Riessman, 2008). The
method used in the process was an open coding method. As Punch (2009) describes,
“codes are tags, names or labels, and coding, therefore, is the process of putting tags,
names or labels against pieces of data” (p. 176). The themes had been prearranged by
the interview’s questions (e.g., the impact of the developed curriculum and students’
achievement, performance, and the teaching process). All interviews were transcribed
in a Word document. The researcher listened to each recorded interview individually
and typed the participant’s response for each question. Then, the significant factors
were highlighted in the same color to prepare the data for the analyzing process.
Secondly, compatible factors referred to by the interview’s participants were
categorized into four themes. There were several rounds of coding on each
participant’s speech. To reduce the possibility of research bias, some alternative
explanations were explored for further insight into the points presented.
For the quantitative data analysis, the survey statements were divided
according to themes relevant to the research questions. Then, the survey’s statements
were analyzed using Excel software and the SPSS program through which the mean,
standard deviations, and other statistical parameters were determined.
Summary
This chapter gave an overview of the methodology used in this study which
mixed methods. The instrument applied to collect the data were phone interviews
with secondary English female teachers and an online survey for senior secondary
students. Next chapter will discuss the results and the analyses from the collected
data.

28

CHAPTER IV: RESULTS
In this chapter, the results of the research are presented. First, the findings
from the qualitative data are provided. They were analyzed and accordingly themes
which were emerged with the data analysis, and noted in answer to the research
questions. Second, the quantitative data results are presented. The statements were
divided according to themes, then with the use of Excel software and the SPSS
program, the quantitative data was analyzed using the mean, standard deviations, and
other statistical parameters as specified. The researcher invited nine teachers to
participate in the study and six of them agreed to do the interview.

The Findings
The researcher started the analysis process with the qualitative data following
the six steps recommended by Creswell (2015), which involved: “preparing and
organizing the data for analysis, engaging in an initial exploration of data through the
process of coding it, representing the findings, making an interpretation of the
meaning of the results, and finally, conducting strategies to validate the accuracy of
the findings” (p. 236). After analysing the information, themes were ascribed in the
following order:
1. Advancement in the English curriculum;
2. Effectiveness;
3. Difficulties and Challenges;
4. Teachers preparation needed;
Advancement in the English Curriculum
From the responses, it was found that there were improvements in various
areas of the teaching and learning process, with by the English Developed
Curriculum, when compared with the traditional one. These improvements were
reported as advancements in the different structural areas listed in Table 1, arranged in
order from the most mentioned ones to the least.

29

Table 1
Advancements in Developed English Curriculum
Advancement
Fulfill all English Skills
Corresponds with Students’ Needs
Interesting Contents

Number of Participants
6/6
6/6
5/6

Fulfills all English Skills
As seen in Table 1, fulfilling all English skills in the Developed English
Curriculum was one of the most considerable changes. All language acquisition areas
are covered in the new curriculum. All the participants mentioned this point, since the
traditional approach lacks content lessons that cover skills such as speaking and
listening. “The old method discusses part of the English skills like reading, writing,
grammar, and vocabulary; it ignored speaking and listening skills” (P3). All teachers
reported that each unit contained topics for all skills besides the sub-skills, which are
grammar and vocabulary. Therefore, by the end of each unit, the students will be able
to speak, read, listen, write, and learn new vocabulary and grammar based on the
theme of the unit. Figure 1 shows that the goals of the module include practical
experience in all four language learning areas.

Figure 1: Sample learning outcome (Mitchel & Malkogianni, 2016-2017,
Traveller 5 KSA-Edition, All over the world. Unit 1 on holiday unit 2 the place to
be (p. 7)

30

Corresponds with Students’ Needs
The second element in the Developed English Curriculum that all participants
agreed was improved was that it corresponds with the students’ needs. One of the
participating teachers noted in her response that the new curriculum goals are to
achieve the following: communicative skills, social skills, learning how to learn,
language and cultural awareness, effective preparation for all exams, intercultural
consciousness, and learning autonomy (P1). These goals are listed clearly at the
introduction of the teacher’s curriculum guide to inform teachers about the
expectation with regards to the learning outcome.
The Developed Curriculum greatly helps in building a strong learner because
it touches almost all aspects of the student’s personality and needs. In her expression
of admiration for the new teaching tool, P3 mentioned that the teaching approach
outlined in this program helps in preparing students for all exams, such as IELTS and
Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). However, this teacher
participant suggested that the benefit for good preparation for the internationally
recognized English exams will only be fully achived if the students finish all of the
Traveller series successfully. Interestingly, most of the participating instructors in this
study agreed that the Developed Curriculum allows the students to express their
feelings, ideas, and opinions. The Developed Curriculum also enhanced their ability
to think critically when using the English language. Another one of the participants
(P6) also voiced her support in saying that: “The Developed Curriculum is appropriate
for students’ needs as it gives the students a chance to develop their language and use
it effectively.” P3 and P6 emphasized that the Developed Curriculum touches the
students’ daily life, which motivates them to use English frequently. It has themes
that talk about jobs, finance, sports, and holidays. It also provides them with useful
idioms and phrases, which help them communicate more easily with native English
language speakers.
In contrast, another teacher (P2) argued that the standards of the Developed
Curriculum appeared to be slightly higher than the students’ abilities. She noted that
this may not be considered a disadvantage, since the perceived difficulty level might
challenge the students to do more. If the students meet the challenge, in would
thereby result in an overall improvement of their skills and learning outcomes.

31

Interesting Content
The third improvement that the interviews revealed is that the Developed
Curriculum has interesting content for students and teachers. The teacher’s
curriculum guide contains a variety of strategies, which were not found in the
traditional curriculum. As one participant expressed, “there are many strategies in
the teacher’s manual that teachers can apply, such as group work, role play, group
activity, paired work, and discussions” (P5). Furthermore, P5 and P2 expressed
similar opinions about the advancement of contents that the Developed Curriculum
uses, and we will explore these comments further below. Also, most of the
participants mentioned that there is a variety of themes and exercises which stimulate
the students; conversely, P4 stressed that there are some themes in the reading parts
that are not interesting, as they are based only on knowledge and information. She
said: “I feel that the students are not interested in the themes… I can see it in their
faces… ‘So, What’ reaction!”
One of the goals of the Developed Curriculum is to create intercultural
awareness; P4 noted that the traditional curriculum was closer to the students’ culture,
(the Saudi Arabian culture), whereas the Developed Curriculum introduces
international topics and themes. P1 and P4 commented on the quality of the
textbooks as it improved along with the development of the curriculum. “The
developed books are colorful, with high-quality papers, as well as with interesting
lessons for the students which make them more engaged in the learning process” (P1).
“I can see that the girls feel very interested in the lesson” (P4).
The researcher also reported from the interviews that the topics in the book are
relevant to the students’ real life. One of the participants (P6) described it in this way:
“It is not just a textbook or curriculum; it is a real-life process.”
Effectiveness
All participants expressed their appreciation for the Developed Curriculum as
it has had a positive impact on students’ performance, teaching process, and students’
achievement. Table 2 shows that all teachers expressed a positive impact of those
factors.

32

Table 2
Effectiveness of the English Developed Curriculum
The Effectiveness
Positive Impact on Students' Performance
Positive Impact on the Teaching Process
Positive Impact on the Students' Achievement

Number of Participants
6/6
6/6
6/6

Student Performance
The first significant improvement recorded was the students’ performance in
the classroom. Students’ performance was reported to have improved according to
responses from all teachers.
In the interviews, all teacher participants clearly expressed that the students
with the Developed Curriculum are more involved in the learning process than before.
According to P2, “the new curriculum directed questions for the students and provides
a lot of chances for them to be involved.”
The interviews also revealed that the new curriculum gave students a chance to
express their opinions, hence encouraging them to answer and participate. Even
students with low English skills were encouraged because the material elicits their
own opinion; therefore, no answer is considered wrong. In this way, the students
speak more and practice using English in class, thus improving their skills. This
assertion was also confirmed by another teacher (P6) in her statement: “the students
can form and imagine new situations, and role play it in the class room.” Figure 2
shows an example of the questions that are directed to the students and ask for their
opinion.

33

Figure 2: Sample question (Mitchell & Malkogianni, 2016-2017, Traveller 5 KSAEdition. All over the world. Unit 1 on holiday unit 2 the lace to be (p. 24)
The new strategies in the Developed Curriculum helped a lot with the students’
performance as indicated by most of the interviews. In her interview, P1 explained
those strategies and how she uses it in her class in few words: “each student takes part
in a discussion giving an opinion, practice constantly thinking, summarizing, and
evaluating the whole group or does coaching.”
The concept of the students’ involvement is one of the important approaches
that helps in reaching the desired outcomes by the students and teachers.
Empowering the students’ role in the learning process is one of the goals of the
Ministry of Education. The participants reported that this goal has been mostly met.
Several participants agreed, notably, P4 and P3 indicated that the idea of students’
motivation and encouragement being included in the new curriculum is effective.
They implied that this introduction encouraged the young scholars to participate more
as the content of the curriculum becomes more interesting to them. Moreover, P4
described what she noticed about the effects of this practice: “I can tell that the
students become more confident using the English language… They speak a lot,
present themselves, express their feelings, and participate a lot,” she continued,
“…They keep on telling me ‘now we love the language.’”
The Teaching Process
As seen in Table 2, all participants praised the advantages that the Developed
Curriculum has brought to the process of instruction. The participants reported that
34

the content of the student’s textbook as well as the teachers’ curriculum guide has
positively impacted the teaching process. P2 went further to explain this as the
variation of the topic of the lesson, and the teaching strategies helped teachers a lot in
delivering the materials to the students as it gives the teachers an opportunity to
change from one strategy to another.
The variety of lessons and themes mentioned has been a helpful factor in the
teaching process, more than the teaching strategies. Some of the teachers expressed
how new elements were added to the teaching strategies with the development of the
curriculum. Four of the participants talked about the new teaching methods
effectiveness and how they are practicing it in the class. Those strategies applied
include group work, role play, discussion, group activities, brain storming, and pair
work. Figure 3 shows an example of a pair-work activity from the students’ book.

Figure 3: Sample activity (Mitchell & Malkogianni, 2016-2017, Traveller 5- KSAEdition. Module 4 round up. Units (7-8) p. 111)
In their example of a role play, as demonstrated in their class, P1 explained
that: “some topics deserve to be acted out in the class, so the scenario is distributed
among the students by the teacher and each student takes part and acts it out in the
class.” In her view, this is a way to make the students learn, while having fun at the
same time. By definition, most of the strategies that the teachers listed are grouped as
35

the “cooperative learning methods, and these come in the form of group work,
discussion, paired work, and role play. One of the teaching strategies that the
participants reported is a project that the students have to do at the end of each
semester regarding what they have learned. The participants explained that they have
the option to have the students do the work in groups or individually, but most of the
time they prefer to do it in groups. P3 explained that in “one of the projects they have
to make a brochure for any university in a part of the world they are interested in, and
then they present their work to the class.”
The benefits of this style of teaching include its ability to improve students’
communication skills, which is one of the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEF) goals. It is also known to be a catalyst in building the
teachers’ ability to deal with conflicts. In other words, it enhances their conflict
resolution strategies. The new method alters the teacher's role in the teaching and
learning process. In this case, with the English Developed Curriculum the instructors
are no longer the source of the knowledge; they are not strictly responsible for
providing the information to the students. The educators’ job becomes more
interesting because they now have the opportunity to diversify their duties. This is
supported by a report from P1, who noted that “the [English] Developed Curriculum
increased the students’ and teacher’s interest and awareness.” Additionally, P6
attributed the remarkable impacts of this new method to a variety of factors, which
they outlined in her statement:
All topics are related to their life, which made them participate a lot and get
involved in the class, even the weak student. Also, it facilitated the teaching
process; the curriculum’s divisions are easier and connected, which makes the
process of teaching easier.
In her view, P3 pointed out that the organizational element and the smoothness of the
English Developed Curriculum contributed immensely toward its positive impact on
the teaching process.
The teachers’ curriculum guide comes with an in-class CD and Test CD/CDROM. The in-class CD has all the material of the student’s book recorded for the
listening activities while the Test CD/CD ROM has a verity of elements, most
noticeably, “enabling the teacher to add, omit or change the order of the items and/or
exercises according to the needs of their classes.” (Mitchell & Malkogianni, 201636

17). This CD was mentioned by just two teachers P2, and P5; the remaining
participants talked about using other technologies as tools in the class, such as smart
boards and other types, but not necessarily using the interactive CD. In her interview,
P2 expressed that it is a very interesting illustration tool that teachers should use.
From her perspective: “the interactive CD makes learning and teaching process much
easier.” The positive impact of the availability of the CD as a teaching tool is farreaching, facilitating the learning process since it keeps the students engaged and
enables them to maintain their interested in the English Developed Curriculum
material.
The Students’ Achievement
The interviews indicated several positive impacts from the English Developed
Curriculum on the students’ performance. It was also found that the teaching process
has influenced the students’ achievement. All teachers agreed that this tool affected
the students’ achievement positively as it was found to be useful for all the English
skills and sub-skills because each unit in the book contains a lesson for each skill.
The participants said that the students had to take three monthly exams and are
continually assessed for speaking and listening skills throughout the course. Marks
were also awarded for homework and participation. P1 commented on the
significance of this practice in aiding students’ learning, saying: “the variety of marks
helped students to develop their skills, work harder, and practice more; the outcome is
their skills improved and got good marks.”
In another interview, P6 added her voice in agreement of the positive effects of
this new approach “with the developed one, the students are encouraged to learn more
and more.” She continued by saying that the Developed English Curriculum contains
a lot of activities which motivates the students to learn and achieve more. According
to her: “at the end of each unit, we have what we call ‘round up’ which contains what
the student should achieve at the end of that unit, so if the students did the exercises,
she will get A+ and so on.” Another observation that was remarked on by the
participants was that the students were now more attentive to the lessons than before,
P5 reported this by saying that “the students have become more active than before; the
contact lets them express their feelings.”
These findings imply that the use of modern teaching strategies in the English
37

Developed Curriculum make students more active in class as some of the teachers
noted. Several teachers noticed this change; P2 observed that “the group work helped
students to achieve more marks as well as to learn more.” The teachers engaged
students in a variety of activities where they could see significant improvement in
their students. They said that they are achieving more in their writing and speaking,
as well as increasing their vocabulary substantially and improving their grammar
skills. This view was echoed by P4 who told the interviewer that “the students
achieve in their writing a lot, now they can write short stories, and I reward them for
doing that.” This position was further supported by another participant (P3) who
agreed she had seen improvements in the students’ abilities in the sense that,
according to her “they can hold a long conversation on different topics through
speaking practices in their book.” These examples from the interviews clearly
indicate that student achievement is positively affected by the implementation of the
English Developed Curriculum in female secondar schools. This positive impacte
was noticed by the teachers’ eyes not by test result.
Difficulties and Challenges
The results showed some difficulties and challenges that the teachers are
experiencing while teaching the Developed Curriculum. Table 3 lists those problems
in rank order, from the most mentioned to the least.
Table 3
Difficulties and Challenges
Difficulties and Challenges
Content Density
Shortage of Time
Repetition of Grammar Rules
Teaching Strategies
Traditional Exam Criteria

Number of Participants
4/6
2/6
2/6
2/6
1/6

Content Density
The majority of the participants expressed that it was very challenging to cover
all of the content within the prescribed time frame for the English Developed
Curriculum. Four participants said that it has a lot of vocabulary, exercises, grammar,
long-text and information. One of the participants went further in her description of
38

the curriculum density. Appropriately, her remarks on the content were similar to the
goals that Traveller’s publisher has aimed for: “the modular approach promotes
progress in all dimensions and by the end of the course; students will have
systematically covered the vocabulary and grammatical structures outlined in the
contents” (Mitchell & Malkogianni, 2016-2017, p.130).
The course density, while having the potential to positively challenge the
students, was not always experienced as a positive. As P2 described: “One difficulty
is that there are lots of vocabularies, and the texts are sometimes lengthy.” The
participants maintained that sometimes it is very hard to concentrate as there is a lot
of material to cover. As P6 noted: “we are not concentrating on one thing; we have a
lot of things to cover.” Additionally, P3 emphasized that the abundance of vocabulary
provides another area of difficulty for the students: “the vocabulary is too much for
the students as it is related to finance, culture, biology, and travel.”
Shortage of Time
P1 and P4 expressed their annoyance with the lack of time as the lessons are
very long, and it takes a significant amount of time to cover all aspects of the lesson.
As reported in the interviews, the actual time for the lesson is 35 minutes. According
to the teachers, that time is not enough to cover everything, let alone evaluating
speaking and listening continuously. As P1 describes “the time is not enough; each
lesson is supposed to be given one hour or fifty minutes for completion and
evaluation” but with lessons lasting only 35 minutes, teachers must condense the
lessons. P4 said that sometimes she has to divide the lesson into two sections so that
she can fully explain it to the students.
Repetition of Grammar Rules
Two of the participants reported that the grammar rules are repeated, and
nothing is advanced regarding the grammar rules. As P6 described: “many things are
repeated, especially grammar; it is mostly the same grammar from the intermediate
stage.” Also, P6 continued to say that even though it is repeated, they still have to
teach it to the students. Another teacher, P4, concurred with this point: lamenting that
the same grammar rule is presented in many ways and they are obliged to go through
all of them. They expressed their frustration with the challenges associated with
having to explain this to the students, which leaves them confused sometimes. As P4
39

reports, “sometimes I find it hard to make the students understand it, or I cannot
incorporate them into the lesson.”
Teaching Strategies
Although teaching strategies were an important factor that helped with
improving the teaching process, some teachers found it to be a challenging element as
it has become a requirement for each lesson. For example, P1 cautioned that: “the
strategies are useful for some lessons, but not all, such as reading, speaking, and
vocabulary only.” P1 gave further explanation on this point, noting that students need
to understand the whole lesson more than focusing on one part of the lesson.
Interviewee, P4, for her part, had a different view regarding the new strategies
for teaching. P4 believed that since this generation is different, so the teacher must
use different methods and strategies to motivate and engaged them in the learning and
teaching process. According to P4, “teachers need to use different strategies and
techniques because the students are aware of it, so they have to present for them
something higher than before.”
Same Criteria for Traditional Exams
A shift is needed for the exam styles too. The English Developed Curriculum
offers new strategies for the classroom, as noted; however, the criteria for the exams,
including the format, remains in the traditional style. This need was reported by just
one participant (P2) who was of the opinion that one of the challenges is that 70% of
the exam format maintained the same criteria as the traditional one. As P2 puts the
problem: “the way we form the exams is different from the way that the students were
introduced to the lessons, so the teacher has to practice with them the traditional way
of examination.” Then P2 went further to give an example of what she means by the
difference. She explained that when the teachers prepare their exams, questions for
vocabulary, they have to provide four options that the students can choose from, while
in their book there are just two options.
Teacher Preparation Needed
The data from the interviews suggested a need for some teachers’ educational
programs to enable the teachers to deliver the English Developed Curriculum in the
best way and to achieve the projected objectives. The preparation needs are listed in
Table 4 below in the order from the most mentioned to the least mentioned.
40

Table 4
Teacher Preparation Needed
Teacher Preparation Needed
Teaching Strategies
Taking Course in Training Center
Utilize Technologies
Interact with Foreign English Teachers

Number of Participants
4/6
3/6
2/6
2/6

Teaching Strategies
The greatest need to effectively implement the newly introduced education
program is for teaching strategies, since teaching strategies are closely connected with
the educational process when it comes to the development of the curriculum (see
Table 4). The participants agreed that teachers need to know how to make the lessons
attractive to students and how to ensure clarity of the content. One participant, P1,
shared this view with a few simple words: “the use of teaching strategies is helpful for
that.” Also, P1 thought that teachers need training programs to develop their
methodology of teaching, which is partly linked with teaching strategies. This seems
to be a popular belief among the instructors, with P2 reportedly thinking that while
group work should be one of the strategies the teachers can use, they need programs
to help them better control the class. According to P2: “programs of useful strategies
are needed, which makes the teaching process easier and more fun for the students.”
P6 shared the same opinion with her colleagues. She started her speech with
“we need a lot,” in terms of having significant preparation for teaching the English
Developed Curriculum; then she continued, “we need to know more” about the
application of the teaching strategies in the classroom as it helps the students to be
more involved in the learning process. As the strategies were included with the
curriculum with the intent of improving all English skills, P3 thinks that a teacher
needs to learn the strategies to help students improve their speaking and writing skills,
as not all teachers can do that, especially with speaking skills. Listening to the
teachers, it was clear that they all had different strengths that they bring to their
classrooms; but all of them agreed that there is need for more educational courses for
the teachers in the teaching strategies as not all teachers know how to use the
41

strategies effeciently in their class.
Taking a Course at the Training Centre
The first factor, teaching strategies, relates to the second factor note by
teachers: offering courses at a training centre. The second most prominent factor
reported in the interviews is taking a course at the training centre. On this point, P4
explained that: “the Ministry of Education offered some teachers’ educational
programs, and the teacher’s supervisor was helping the teachers to improve their
teaching abilities.” Additionally, P4 explained that the teacher’s supervisor chose
specific courses for each teacher to improve their skills and learn more strategies for
use in their classrooms. P5 shared the same information, and added that the
educational programs are optional for all teachers who have an interest in learning
new methods or want to improve their language or teaching skills. P1 also said that
taking the course at the training center is very helpful in providing support for the
teachers.
Utilize Technologies
The application of technologies in the classroom has become one of the most
prominent teaching and learning strategies. On this topic, P2 and P1 expressed their
feelings about how the use of technologies, such as the interactive CD, could be
beneficial to students’ learning outcomes. Additionally, P1 talked about the
importance of using social media as a tool to communicate with the students and their
parents. Specifically, P1 pointed to a program she uses to communicate with other
teachers around the world, called ‘Edmodo Program’. As a result of her own positive
personal experiences, P1 thinks teachers should learn how to integrate these
technological tools into their classrooms to help them in teaching as well as helping
the students learn better.
Interact with Foreign English Teachers
According to P1, teachers need to interact with foreign English teachers from
America or Europe to share and exchange their experiences. Also, P6 said very much
the same opinion, but added that interacting with other teachers who have studied
abroad would be helpful also as they have acquired some experience with teaching
strategies, and they have learned the application of new techniques, as well as having
42

learned from teachers in developed countries, about how to use modern methods of
teaching.
Further Interesting Findings
From the interviews, there was also further data to support some of the
inefficiencies the teachers observed with the English Developed Curriculum. First,
there is a large segment of English language teachers who have weak English
language skills themselves. Having weak English skills themselves means that
teachers required extra time to learn the more challenging English Developed
Curriculum before they could begin to teach it to students. Second, some teachers use
the Arabic language during the class lessons for grammar explanation and other skills.
As the teachers had to revert to the use of Arabic to explain the English lesson on
occasion, there seems to be a level of complexity in the English Developed
Curriculum beyond what the students were able to learn from the material.

Survey Results
This section provides an overview of the survey results as well as the analysis
of the collected data concerning the responses to the survey’s statements.
General Overview of Survey Results
Fourteen survey statements presented to each participant were evaluated on a
five-point Likert scale, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The sample
was taken from four schools; two schools from each region where the study was
conducted. All the selected schools are from among those operating on the credit
system.
Tables 5 and 6 show the demographic information of the participants:
participants’ age, and school’s names, which were identified as S1, S2, S3, and S4
respectively for reason of anonymity and convenience, and the number of participants
of each region where the study was conducted. In total, 108 students were surveyed.

43

Table 5
Student Age as a Percent of the Total Sample
Age
16
17
18
19
20
23

Percent (%)
0.9
23.2
62.0
9.3
3.7
0.9

Table 6
The Number of Participants from Each School and Region
Region
Western Region
Western Region
Central Region
Central Region

School
S1
S2
S3
S4

(n=)
34
27
19
28

Since the study participants were chosen from among secondary students, the majority
of the students are 17 to 18 years old. The sample from the Western Region was
larger than the Central Region because the students from Western Region interact with
the subject of the study more than students from the other regions. There are some
noticeable differences between the geographical and cultural aspects of the two
regions. The Western Region is a coastal area while the Central Region is a desert-dry
area. The Western Region is more multicultural than the Central Region. This is due
to the population of non-Saudis in the Western Region as it has two holy cities
(Medina and Mecca). These cities attract millions of Muslims from around the world,
especially the city of Mecca, where the pilgrimage is held every year (Al-Ghabban,
2010). This could be a reason behind the higher rate of multiculturalism in the
Western Region. It is common for 50% of the whole population in Jeddah city, 3.5
million people, to be of non-Saudi origin; Jeddah is the biggest city in the region and
the second-biggest city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Al-madaniu, 2013). Figure 4
shows a map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, illustrating the two different regions on
which this study focussed.

44

Figure 4: Map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (blog.frontierstrategygroup.com)

The survey statements are divided into three themes in relation to the research
questions. The themes: student achievement, the abilities of teachers, and the content
of the textbook.
Students’ Achievement
This theme comprises five survey statements, presented in Table 7, in order from
one to five.
1.

This course was a valuable learning experience for me.

2.

This course challenged me to do the best work.

3.

The flexibility in the credit system has increased my desire for learning.

4.

The textbook helped me to complete the mid-term exam and carry on my
education.

5.

I find that dividing the curriculum into six courses is a very effective step.

45

Table 7
Students’ Achievement
Core Statement
Valuable Learning Experience
This Course Challenged Me
Credit System
Passing the Exam
Dividing the Curriculum

Mean
3.7
3.5
3.7
3.6
3.4

Std. Deviation
1.1
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.1

Figure 5: Whether the course was a valuable experience
An average score of 3.7 with a standard deviation of 1.1 was recorded among
students who indicated that the course was a valuable learning experience. These
values mean that most of the students have a relatively a consistent opinion about the
benefits of Traveller5 English course (Table 7). The data showed that nearly 40% of
the students agreed that the course was a valuable learning experience for them; while
another 32% strongly agreed with it being beneficial which clearly shows the benefit
gained by the students from studying this course. The rest of the participants were
grouped between strongly disagree to undecided; 5% responded strongly disagree,
16% disagree, 7% undecided.

46

Figure 6: Whether the course challenged students to do their best work
Regarding the question on whether the course challenged the students to do
their best work, there was an average score of 3.5 with a standard deviation of 1.1.
Over 30% of the students agreed that they did the best work they can do as the course
was challenging for them, another group of more than 26% strongly agreed to this
point. There were slightly over 20% who were not sure if the course was challenging
or not as well as nearly 15% who disagreed with the statements and about 5% who
strongly disagreed.

Figure 7: Whether the flexibility in the credit system increased students’ desire to
learn
47

The credit system allows students to register under the number of hours they
want to study each semester, which comprised five required courses and two optional
courses, so the students can study seven courses each semester instead of 14 courses
in the traditional system. The data revealed that more than half of the students think
that the credit system has increased their desire to learn. More than one-third of the
students strongly agreed with the statement, and there was over one-quarter who
agreed to advancement in their willingness to learn which contribute positively to
their achievements. This response recorded a mean score of 3.7, with a standard
deviation of 1.2 (Table 7).
The new English curriculum was divided into six courses Traveller 1 to 6.
The last required course is Traveller 5, which was the focus of this study. The
curriculum takes the students from level one in the English language to level six,
which is the advanced level for Traveller English courses. The statement asked the
students about their opinion regarding the steps that were taken by the Ministry of
Education. The average score was 3.4, with a standard deviation of 1.1, for this
division of the curriculum (Table 7). More than half of the students (57%) agreed
with the statement, “I find that dividing the curriculum into six courses is a very
effective step,” which means that, from the students’ perspective, dividing into six
courses is effective. Another 24% were undecided with this step.

The Abilities of Teachers
This theme includes four survey statements in relation to the teachers’
profession from the perspective of the senior secondary students. It is presented in
Table 8 in order.
1. I can fully understand the subject explained throughout the lesson.
2. I think that the teacher can deliver the course’s content excellently.
3. The teacher helped me to understand the course.
4. The teaching methods increased my ability to understand the course’s
a. material.

48

Table 8
Teachers’ Abilities
Core Statement
Understand the Lesson
Deliver the Course Content
The Teacher Helped Me
The Teaching Methods

Mean
3.6
3.9
3.8
3.5

Std. Deviation
0.9
1.0
1.0
1.1

Figure 8: Whether students think that the teacher can deliver the course content excellently
The students were asked about their opinion regarding their teachers’ abilities
to teach the English Developed Curriculum (Traveller 5). An average score of 3.9
was recorded from the participants’ responses, with a standard deviation of 1.0—
demonstrating consistency in the students’ view of their teachers’ performance
(Table 8). In addition, 38% of students thought that their teachers could deliver the
course’s content very well, and approximately 35% indicated that they were satisfied
with their teachers’ teaching skills. Some of the students seem unsure about their
teachers’ performance as about 17% were undecided about this statement.

49

Figure 9: Whether the teacher helped students to understand the course
Since one of the features of an efficient teacher is providing the support for
their students, the students were asked if their teachers provided them with the support
needed and these results are provided in Figure 9, shown above. Also, 50%
responded that their teachers helped them to understand the course. This was an
indication of the extent to which the teachers understand the course’s contents. On
this same issue, 25% of the students strongly agreed with the average of 3.8 and
standard deviation of 1.0 (Table 8).

50

Figure10: Whether teaching method increased students’ understanding of the
course’s material
This data, given in Figure 10, also shows that more than half of the students
think that the teaching methods helped them to understand the course’s materials;
about 39 % agreed to the statement, while another 21% were split between strongly
agree and undecided. This could be interpreted to mean that some teachers were able
to use different methods very well, while others were not as good at them. There
were students who disagreed with this statement with 12% saying they disagreed and
approximately 7% saying they strongly disagreed. The result from the students’
surveys for this statement were significant enough, with an average of 3.5 supporting
the effectiveness of the teaching method and taking into account a standard deviation
of 1.1 (see Table 8).
The Textbook Content
On this theme, five survey statements are included in relation to the new
curriculum’s textbook content which is linked to the students’ achievement. This is
presented in Table 8 in short forms in the order from 1 to 5.
1. The textbook helped me to better understand the course.
2. I find the textbook content very interesting.
3. The textbook content greatly developed my skills.
4. The textbook’s content corresponds with my abilities.

51

5. I can understand the contents of the textbook on my own without the need
for a detailed explanation from the teacher.

Table 9
Students Responses Concerning the Textbook Content
Core Statement
Helped Me to Understand the Course
The Content Was Very Interesting
Greatly Developed My Skills
Corresponds with my Abilities
Learning Autonomy

Mean
3.4
2.9
3.1
3.1
2.6

Std. Deviation
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.0
1.2

Figure11: Whether the textbook helped students to better understand the course
The data shows that more than half of the students think that the textbook was
a good learning tool for them. Figure 11 shows that students (56%) agreed with the
statement. However, there are also some students who were unsure about the support
that their textbook provided to them (24%). Nonetheless, a significant/noteworthy the
results pertaining to the effectiveness of the textbook are significant and worth
mentioning as the mean is 3.4, and the standard deviation is 1.0 (Table 9).

52

Figure12: The textbook’s content greatly developed my skills
A mean score of 3.1, with standard deviation of 1.2, was reported for the data
on whether the textbook content greatly developed students’ skills. Even though there
seem to be more students who agreed to the textbook’s content being a useful tool in
developing their skills, with about 26% agreeing and nearly 15% strongly agreeing,
there were more respondents who were undecided with almost 30% of the students
not knowing which side to be. In general, this chart shows almost a neutral review for
the textbook in developing students’ skills.

Figure13: The textbook’s content corresponds with my abilities
Figure 12 shows that more students (37%) agreed or (6.5%) strongly agreed
53

that the textbook’s content corresponded with their abilities than those that disagreed
(17.6%) or strongly disagreed (9.3%), the remaining 30% of the students were
undecided. However, there could be a strong argument made that these results show
an overall approval for the book’s content in terms of its corresponding with students’
ability since a total of almost 44.0% were on the positive side of the argument, with a
mean score of 3.1 and a standard deviation of 1.0 (Table 9).
Summary
The results show that teachers and students are engaging with the material and
making use of the Developed Curriculum resources. The interviews with the teachers
pointed to several common needs as well as areas of positive development. The
students’ responses to the survey show trends that indicate the benefits and needs for
more work on the English Developed Curriculum. The credit system, addressed both
in the survey and interviews, is the area least addressed and perhaps could have been
treated as more of a “control” with the sample schools rather than an are as of inquiry.
We will consider these results further in the discussion below.

54

CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION
This study was constructed to answer three main questions regarding the
English Developed Curriculum in Saudi Arabia. I collected quantitative and
qualitative data to provide answers to each question. The relevant data was first
provided and subsequently discussed for each of the research questions listed below:
1.

How does the new secondary English curriculum impact students’
achievement?

2. How will teachers prepare for the new curriculum?
3.

In what ways does the credit system affect the students’ achievement?

How does the New English Curriculum Impact Students’ Achievement?
The participants (teachers and students) were asked about the impact of the
new curriculum on the achievement of students. The six teachers interviewed,
identified as P1 to P6, were asked some direct questions about their students’
achievement and their performance in class, using a qualitative research tool. The
students were asked about the improvement in their skills, the benefit that the course
provided for them, the content of their textbook, and whether the course challenged
them to work hard; all in regard to the way that these aspects of the new English
Developed Curriculum impacted their studies using a quantitative research tool.
The qualitative data showed several factors in the new English curriculum in
relation to the students’ achievement. First, its advancement with regards to the
contents. All teachers expressed that the new textbook covers all the relevant skills,
which was not the case in the traditional one. The teachers were of the view that the
new curriculum has lessons for all the English skills in addition to the sub-skills,
which helps in improving the achievement in the four language acquisition areas such
as speaking, reading, listening, writing, and building more knowledge in new
vocabulary and grammar. From the students’ prespective, more than 40% agreed that
the textbook’s content significantly developed their skills which is a considerable
percent. However, there were about 30% who were undecided, which is a substantial
number of respondents who were indifferent to the changes in their development
based on the textbook. Given the interview comments from teachers, the 30% could
be about the content density and the repetition of grammar rules. Specifically, P2
expressed that one of the difficulties she faced in teaching the new curriculum is that
there is a lot of vocabulary, and the length of the text sometimes. Some teachers
55

expressed that it is very challenging for teachers and students to concentrate as there
is a lot of material to cover. As P6 explained, in the learning and teaching process
they have to cover a lot of materials introduced in their textbooks. The study found,
from the perspective of two of the participating teachers, that there is a noticeable
repetition especially in grammar rules. Although it repeated from previous levels of
the course series, teachers still have to teach it to the students. Furthermore, P4
agreed with this point, saying that the same grammar rule is presented in many ways
and she has to go through all of them. These two weaknesses in the Developed
Curriculum textbook impacted the students’ skills improvement, which resulted in
around 30% undecided, and 30% who disagreed with the statement as well. The
problems related to Traveller series was partly mentioned in another study by AlHarbi (2012), who concluded that standards of the proficiency of English language in
Traveller level 1 and 2 were not available to a high degree beyond the intermediate
level in all four linguistic skills.
The second factor that the qualitative data indicated is that the new curriculum
corresponds with students’ needs for success in the classroom. All of the participants
agreed that the new curriculum was suitable for the students’ needs and impacted their
achievements directly. This is supported by statements from participants like P1, who
noted that the new curriculum has several goals which it is seeking to achieve. The
most noticeable are the following: communicative method, social, cultural, learning
how to learn, language and cultural awareness, effective preparation for all exams,
intercultural consciousness, and learning autonomy. Meeting the students’ needs for
study is essential for enhancing their achievements and these goals are fulfilling all
the students’ needs; whereas the traditional curriculum did not.
This opinion was supported by findings made by an educational philosopher
who reported that “educational objectives are typically derived from the curriculum
theory, which assumes that it is possible to predict with a fair degree of accuracy what
the outcomes of instruction will be” (Eisner, 1967, p. 553). According to all the
English teachers, the English Developed Curriculum allows students to express their
feelings, ideas, opinions, and to think in the English language, which filled all
students’ psychological, mental, and practical needs. This is in line with what has
been found in Dewey’s theory of education. For example, Dewey (1897) reported
that; “the only true education comes through the stimulation of the child’s power by
56

the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself” (p. 1). As all those
goals are emphasized in the new curriculum textbook, the students were asked if the
content is corresponding with their abilities and almost 44% agreed with this
statement, which gives a positive expression about the suitability of the textbook’s
content in the new curriculum. As Al-Aubudi (2010) describes, The Ministry of
Education focused on the development of the curriculum to meet the students’ needs,
the requirement of national development plans, and the needs of the labor market
project.
In addition, the qualitative data revealed the effectiveness that the Developed
Curriculum brought to the educational process. All teachers agreed that students are
more encouraged to participate in the learning process, since the curriculum contents
includes them in the learning environment. The teachers expressed their satisfaction
with the curriculum contents as being a helpful factor in the students’ engagements in
the learning and teaching process. As stated by P2, “The new curriculum directed
questions for them and provides a lot of chances for them to be involved.” This study
found that classroom participation by students increased as different strategies were
used such as group work, pair work, creative solutions to new situations, and roleplaying were introduced, as was reported by P6 in her interview.
A group of researchers Al-Abed et al (2016) concluded in their study “The
Effect of Role-Playing on Students’ Achievement and Motivation in the
Governmental school of Bethlehon Districtin Plaestine,” which focused on grade
eight students, that “ role play has a great effect on students achievement and
motivation” (p. 17). As Beaman (1980) argued, “cooperative learning methods use a
cooperative task structure in which students work in 2 to 6 heterogeneous member
groups” (p. 10). Furthermore, Astin (2014) notes, “The theory of involvement
emphasizes active participation of the students in the learning process” (p. 522). The
learner centered approach has proved to be effective on the students’ achievement. T
Lancaster study (2017), compared learning outcomes and found that the learner
centered classroom environments promote a greater academic achievement and better
independence and leadership skills than teacher-centered classroom environments.
The students’ participation in the learning process has a significant impact on
the learning outcome, research has found: “that participation in school and class
activities increased students’ performance and their achievement and that their
performance has an influence on their feeling of identifying themselves with the
57

school” (Gunuc, 2014, p. 218). In addition, this is in agreement with what was
already known about good learning strategies. For example, it has been found that
“knowing is not the memory of facts or results, it is the ability to understand and
participate in the process that makes the establishment of knowledge in a given field
possible” (Herd, 1993, p. 15).
Some teachers pointed out an important element that a sophisticated
curriculum should have, such as topics included in the new curriculum being related
to the students’ real life. This has increased the students’ participation and impacted
their achievement positively. The approach of using real life situations and creating
real communication has proven to be effective on the students’ achievement as found
in Saad Shawer (2010) and Le Luo (2013). In the quantitative data, the students were
asked if they think the course was a valuable learning experience for them, and the
result was significant with 72% agreement with the statement. This could be
interpreted to mean that the students learned and achieved more, and had a great
experience, as they were more involved in the educational process. That was also
confirmed by P4 as she said, “I can tell that the students become more confident using
English language… They speak a lot, present themselves, express their feelings, and
participate a lot; she continued …They keep on telling me “now we love the
language.”
In addition, the teachers were asked about the impact of the new curriculum on
the students’ achievement. All of them agreed that the impact was positive with P1
saying, “the variety of marks helped students to develop their skills, work harder, and
practice more; the outcome is their skills improved and got good marks.” Interviewee
P6 reiterated this point, saying, “With the developed one, the students are encouraged
to learn more and more.” They continued to enumerate that it has a lot of activities,
which motivate the students to learn and achieve more. Moreover, the teachers think
that some of the teaching and learning strategies, such as group work, helped at
improving the students’ achievement. This was clearly stated by P2 who was of the
opinion that, “the group work helped students to achieve more marks as well as to
learn more.”
Furthermore, the interviews revealed that the students, as groups or
individually, had to make a project at the end of each semester regarding what they
learned. The teachers explained that the students were given the option to do this in
groups or individually, but most of the time they prefer to do it as groups. As
58

expressed by P3 “one of the projects was that they have to make a brochure for any
university in the world that they are interested in, and then they present their work to
the class.” This approach was in agreement with the facts that encourage students’
critical thinking abilities reported by Amanda Krogsta Jansson (2011) whose
investigation was entitled, “For what purpose do language teachers use group work in
their lessons.” She found, through interviewing English teachers from one school in a
suburb of Stockholm, that “group work is a good way to help the students practice
expressing their thoughts in English, understanding what others think, and views on
the subject” (p. 18). The students should be exposed to all these strategies like
discussion, group, and pair work, to improve their skills and achievement. Since all
the new strategies and activities are introduced in the students’ textbook, the students
were asked if the textbook helped them to understand better the course and more than
half (56%) of the participants answered in the affirmative. Furthermore, the students
were asked if the course challenged them to do the best work they can do, and more
than half of the students agreed with this statement. This means that students learned
and achieved more as the course challenged them to do their best. A study by
Ganyaupfu (2013) concluded that:
In light of the fact that learning is a process that involves investigating,
formulating, reasoning and using appropriate strategies to solve problems,
teachers should realize that it becomes more effective if the students are asked
to perform rather than just remember information (p. 33.)
Overall, the findings in this study showed a positive impact of the new curriculum on
students’ achievement.
How Will Teachers Prepare for the New Curriculum?
The teachers were asked about the difficulties they are facing while teaching
the English Developed Curriculum, as well as the training programs needed to deliver
the new curriculum in the best way. At the same time, the students were asked about
the teachers’ abilities and performance as they are affected by the teaching process.
As shown in the teachers’ interviews, there is lack of time as the lessons are too long
and sometimes they cannot cover everything in the allotted 35 minutes as P1
expressed. From her point of view, that “time is not enough; each lesson is supposed
to be given one hour or 50 minutes for completion and evaluation”. Similarly, P4
explained how she is managing covering the whole lesson if she could not deliver it in
one class, she is dividing the lesson into two sections so that they can fully explain it
59

to the students. Teaching strategies were equally acknowledged as another
challenging element in the new curriculum that received the most responses from the
teachers as the qualitative data reported. Similar issues were found in Alfuraih and
Mitchell (2017) study. The study showed that English teachers in Saudi Arabia from
both genders in elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels need structured
professional development programs. These programs need to include several areas
such as pedagogy, and time management with the application of English Developed
Curriculum. In my study, some teachers found the teaching strategies were a
challenging element because they were required to apply new strategies for each
lesson. In her interview, P1 highlighted this issue with her assertion that “the
strategies are useful for some lessons, but not all, such as reading, speaking, and
vocabulary only.” Moreover, P4 was of the opinion that this generation of students
has a greater awareness of new teaching techniques. She thinks that this generation is
different, so to attract and engage the students to the teaching and learning process,
the teacher must use different methods and strategies such as new technology like
smart board and other techniques. According to her, “Teachers need to use different
strategies and techniques because the students are aware of them, so they have to
present for them something higher than before.” This claim is supported by research
conducted by McNamara (2004), who concluded that “teachers’ beliefs, actions, and
motivation influence the effort they put into improving their classroom circumstances
- in this case, effectively integrating technology into their classroom activities - and
bettering the lives of their students.” (p. 126).
About these challenges, four participants think that teachers need educational
programs in teaching strategies to improve their methodology. Specifically, P1
emphasized the need for the English teachers to know how to attract students to the
lesson and to use different strategies to clarify the difficult text, she stated that “the
use of teaching strategies is helpful for that.” One of the strategies that proved to be
effective according the interviewed teachers was group work. For example, P2 thinks
teachers need to have some skills to guide their class through educational programs to
help them better control the class while introducing this strategy and others. She also
stated, “programs with useful strategies are needed which makes the teaching process
easier and more fun for the students.” The group work for English learners as a
learning strategy was invastigated in study of a group of researchers (Nair, et al, 2012)
which was conducted on a semi-urban school on the East Coast state of Terenggnu,
60

Malaysia. The study found that the students think group work is enjoyable,
interesting, and encouraging of interaction during classtime. According to Nair et al
(2012), the students who were surveyed in this study found this strategy to be an
effective means of learning English.
For the application of the teaching strategies and the needs of educational
programs, P6 shared the same opinion with the previous participants. She stated that
“we need a lot,” for the prapreation of teaching the new currciulum and teaching
stratiges; then continued, “we need to know more about the application of the
teaching strategies in the classroom as it helps the students to be more involved in the
learning process”. Just as the teachers thought that teaching strategies are important,
so also the students share the same opinion on the effectiveness of teaching methods
as it increased their ability to understand the course’s material with about 60%
agreement with the statement.
Some teachers mentioned that the teachers can take educational programs
offered by the Ministry of Education. However, as the qualitative data showed, the
training programs are not required, and the teacher’s supervisor recommends to each
teacher the training program that they need. The teachers who took some of those
educational courses were very satisfied with their effectiveness. They think it helps
them in improving their teaching skills and strategies as well as their language. Not
all teachers talked about this process, which gave the sense that it is not efficiently
applied to all teachers. Teachers skills and methods of teaching could greatly impact
on the students’ achievement. Joyce and Showers (2002) pointed out that students’
achievement through staff development, among other things, had a range of
conceivable positive outcomes when people received training to become more
efficient. According to these authors, the teachers who received this training became
knowledgeable and aware of educational theories and practices. In their opinion, the
teachers who received some professional development training exhibited positive
perspectives towards their role; toward different groups of children and some aspects
of the curriculum. These teachers were able to show that the training was
instrumental to the development of skills in the areas of designing and delivering
questions. These were found to impact the students’ achievement positively. A study
by Griffith (2011), which examined the relationship between teacher training program
and school achievement, reported that teacher training programs do indeed have some
impact on student achievement, at least measured on the school-level (p. 28).
61

Furthermore, two participants reported that teachers need to interact with other
teachers to exchange ideas and experiences. As P1 noted, “teachers need to interact
with foreign English teachers from [the United States of] America (USA) or Europe to
share and exchange their experiences in teaching English language. In addition, P6
appeared to share a similar point of view, noting the benefit of interacting with other
teachers who have studied abroad as they have been exposed to the application of new
techniques, and have learned from teachers in the Western countries such as USA,
Canada, and Europe about the use of modern methods and strategies of teaching.
From the researcher’s perspective, some of the teachers need to take courses to
improve their English skills, as there was a noticeable weakness in their language
skills. Since the interviews were conducted in the English language, the researcher
noticed that some participant lacks sufficient vocabulary, and found it hard to clarify
their ideas using the English language. Moreover, it was noticed that they usually had
some grammatical mistakes while speaking.
In spite of all those challenges, and preparation needed by the teachers, the
students are satisfied with the teacher’s abilities and skills in the way that they are
teaching the new curriculum. The students were asked if they think that the teachers
can deliver the course’s content excellently. The result shows that approximately 73%
agreed with the statement, while nearly 17% were undecided and 10% disagreed.
Students were also asked if the teachers helped them to understand the course, with
75% agreed with that statement. Accordingly, from the students’ perspective; the
teachers are doing very well.
In What Way Does the Credit System Affect Students’ Achievements?
The credit system was launched by the Ministry of Education for
secondary school level. The credit system project is “a new secondary education
structure consisting of a joint program taught for all students which branch into two
specialized tracks; one for humanities and the other for natural sciences” (Ministry of
Education, 2011). The goals of this system are to improve the learner’s experience in
a holistic manner by appealing to their personality to achieve positive results in the
cognitive, physical, psychological aspects. Under a number of foundations, this
system was hoping to be achieved. The most noticeable foundations are the
integration of courses, and the flexibility. The system provides a study plan that
contains required courses and elective courses which are under the integration of the
62

courses’ foundation. To enrich the student learning experience, the system has a
maximum of seven courses. Each course is about five hours and there are options for
some elective courses. The flexibility in this system is significant in that it allows the
students to register the number of hours that the students wish to study for each
semester. Furthermore, the students have the opportunity for addition and deletion
from the offered courses. They also can take a summer semester if they want to
complete an extra number of hours. (Ministry of Education, 2011, p. 8). Regarding
this improvement and flexibility in this new system for secondary level, the students
in this study were asked if the flexibility in this system has increased their desire for
learning and a considerable percentage agreed with the statement, with 63%
answering affirmatively.
In relation to this question, four teachers were asked if this system has
improved the students’ achievement. Three of them confirmed that it is beneficial, as
the students are offered fewer courses and achieve better; however, P2 thinks it
depends on the student: if the student is a hard worker, this system will benefit them;
if they are not, they might be negatively impacted.

Suammray
The researsh aimed to provide an answer to three questions regrding the
Developed Curriculum. Overall, the English Developed Curriculum showed positive
impact on the students’ achievements, the learning and teaching process. The new
curriculum covered all English skills, which lead to better achievements in English
language acquisitions. In addition, the students found this course was valuable
learning experience for them. However, this development of the curriculum needs
more preparation for the English teachers. They need to take educational courses to
develop their methodology of teaching, and to improve their teaching skills to best
delivered this new curriculum. As the credit system is a new system for senior
secondary schools, this system was investigated, and the result showed that flexibility
in this system increased the students’ desire of learning.

63

CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSION
The results from this study showed that the English Developed Curriculum
(Traveller) has led to improvements in the process of teaching and learning English.
The primary improvements to the curriculum are in the areas of content, student
engagement and achievement, in addition of improving the teaching methods.
Regarding the curriculum content, the teachers expressed optimism for improvement
and effectiveness. Using the Traveller curriculum, students are more involved in the
learning process, which positively influenced their performance. The teachers
reported that the content is very interesting for the students and teachers as well as
being related to the students’ real lives. The curriculum has a variety of activities and
teaching methods such as pair work, discussion questions, and group work that affects
the educational process positively. The use of the new strategies introduced in the
English Developed Curriculum helped to increase the level of achievement for the
students. However, the repetition in the content, such as the grammar rules, and the
intensity of the curriculum, impacted the teaching process making it more
challenging. The students’ experiences studying this new curriculum were reported as
positive, with the majority reporting that it was a valuable learning experience for
them. Furthermore, the fact that students worked harder, as the course challenged
them to do their best, shows that the English Developed Curriculum has had a positive
impact on students’ achievement. Additionally, the credit system shows considerable
success, with 63% of the students agreeing that it increased their desire for learning.
The notable improvement as a result of this new curriculum required
significant preparation for the teachers, as the qualitative data suggested. The
teachers expressed the need for training programs and the importance of taking
courses that the Ministry of Education provided for the teachers. From their
perspective, they believed that they needed to overcome the challenges that they faced
when teaching the English Developed Curriculum such as using new teaching
strategies, time management techniques, and technology.
For schools to be able to implement the English Developed Curriculum
effectively, the Ministry of Education will need to better prepare the teachers. Current
teachers could be educated about the English Developed Curriculum with extra
workshops and professional development. In the teachers’ educational programs,
universities could be encouraged to consider providing teaching from the Developed
64

Curriculum as a means of encouraging its use in the classroom. As this research
shows, the Developed Curriculum has been useful for educating female senior
secondary students. This study gives the Ministry of Education excellent feedback
about how the English Developed Curriculum has impacted the educational process in
Saudi Arabia. It will encourage them to carry on the development of the educational
field and it will help in avoiding issues like repetition and density of contents, which
might reduce the effectiveness of the curriculum.
Recommendations
While this study reported its findings with respect to the English Developed
Curriculum in Saudi Arabia, there are some issues that should be redesigned in the
Developed Curriculum, as well as some preparations needed to meet the curriculum’s
goals and reach the highest level of efficiency that the Ministry of Education aimed
for. The following recommendations are made with the aim of improving the
intended outcomes with regards to the curriculum:
1. Consider reducing the intensity of the curriculum’s content as it affects the
teaching and learning process negatively;
2. Avoid repetition of the curriculum’s content from level to level (like
grammar rules), and focusing on practicing the grammar roles in real life
situations, rather then just teaching the grammar as roles, as it appeared to
be challenging for teachers and students;
3. Encourage teacher’s educational programs and provide programs in the
teachers’ location (at their schools where they are teaching) to facilitate
taking the educational courses for them;
4. Focus on the teaching strategies’ in the teacher educational courses, as it
scored the highest;
5. Invite guest teachers from other native English speakers’ countries, and
other Middle Eastern countries such as United Arab Emirates and Kuwait
to interact with the English teachers in Saudi Arabia;
Limitations
This study was conducted on the English Developed Curriculum (the MMB
Publisher version called, Traveller) being used by senior secondary students, and their
teachers. The results of the study are limited to the four secondary schools chosen
65

from two regions ‘the Central and Western Regions’ in Saudi Arabia, which posed a
geographical limitation. The school system in Saudi Arabia is highly gendered and
separates males from female students and staff. Therefore, as a female researcher, for
practical reasons, the study focused on just one gender (females). The students in this
study were asked the survey questions in the Arabic language, as it is their native
language, to facilitate their understating to of the survey statements. Consequently,
questions were not translated directly or literally in order to aid in a better
comprehension to the English reader. In addition, the interviews were conducted by
phone, so that limited the time of the interview with each teacher. The approximate
time for each of the interviews were about 20 minutes. There was further discussion
about the study’s topic before and after the interviews were recorded, but the formal
answers to the interview questions was limited to the time mentioned.
Future Research
Further research in connection with the appropriate teachers’ educational
programs to achieve the English Developed Curriculum goals could be conducted.
The information gathered from senior secondary students and their teachers
corresponds with one examined subject – the English curriculum. The results and
conclusions will help to avoid some of the issues found in this study connected with
studying and teaching the English Developed Curriculum for the mentioned grade.
The information will also help the Ministry of Education in creating teachers’
educational programs as well as assisting in the activation of the current programs for
teachers in building deeper insight into the effectiveness of the Developed
Curriculum. In addition, this study has focused on only one of the series of the
English Developed Curriculum called Traveller, so it is hoped the study will
encourage another researcher to investigate other series and find out about their
effectiveness. Since this research found that the new teaching strategies are helpful for
the learning and teaching process, further research in the effectiveness of specific
strategies (like group work) could be investigated in order to understand its impact on
the educational process and students’ achievement.
Futhermore, the educational system in Saudi Arabia has gender segregation
from elementary to university level, and the traditional curriculum differs in content
between males and females. The cover of the textbooks are usually designed to show
whether it is for male or female students as well as some difference in contents. For
66

example, the English curriculum for male secondary students was different from that
of the females. However, this is no longer the case with the English Developed
Currciulum where both genders now are studying the same curriculum in similar
courses. Further studies could be conducted to examine the difference between the
impact of the English Developed Currciulum on male and female students and their
teachers. As this study found postive impacts from the Developed Curriculum on the
students’ achivement and teaching process from the female perspective, future studies
could highlight the experience of male schools in teaching and learning this new
curriculum. Since this study found that the majority of the female students think the
course was a valuable learning experience for them, and it challanged them to do the
best work they could do, including having an impact on their achivement positively,
male students might have different experiences and voices that need to be heard as the
curriculum development aimed to upgrade the output level of the educational process
in Saudi Arabia in order to match the global educational output level. There were also
some challanging factors in the teaching process that the study showed from the
teachers’ point of view like shortening of time, teaching strategies, content density
and the repetition of grammar rules. Male teachers might face different challenges
that are worth exploring.
In addition, the lessons learned from this study can be applied in Gulf States
such as Kuwait, Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain who are going through similar
developments in their educational systems. Saudi Arabia collaborated with
international and national companies to develop this English lanaguage curriculum for
schooling. Their experience with this collaboration, and the impact of the curriculum
produced on the learning and teaching process, is providing beneficial knowledge
from which to learn.

67

REFERENCES
Abdulsalam, A (2006, April). Tatwir manahij altaelim litalbiat mutatalabat altanmia
wamuajahat tahadiyat aleawlama [Developing educational curricula to meet
the requirements of development and to meet the challenges of globalization].
almutamar aleulmaa al'awal bikaliat altarbiat alnaweia [The First Scientific
Conference at the Faculty of Specific Education]. Mansoura University, Cairo,
Egypt. Retrieved from
http://www1.mans.edu.eg/facse/arabic/moktamar/first/09.pdf
Al-Abed, S., Joma, M., & Nafi, J., (2016). The effect of “Role-playing” on students’
achievement and motivation in the governmental schools of Bethlehem district
in Palestine. British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioral Science,
18(3), 2278-0998.
Al-Aubudi, A. (2010, October). Muqararat mutakamilat teatamid alwasatiat watalabiy
hajat suq aleamal:almashrue alshamil litatwir almanahij [Integrated curricula
based on moderation and meet the needs of the labor market: comprehensive
project for the development of curricula]. Almarefh Magazin, (187). Retrieved
from
http://www.almarefh.net/show_content_sub.php?CUV=375&SubModel=132&
ID=74
Al-Bisher, M. & Al-Zaharani, S. (2004). Jwhod Al-mamlakah fi tatwir almanahj
[Saudi Arabia’s efforts in the field of curriculum development]. (National
Report to Regional Workshop on Curriculum Development). Retrieved from
https://faculty.kas.edu.sa/albisher/552/
Alfal, M. (2012, November 26). Faysal bin ebdallh fi hiwar tanfarid bih ekaz
limurajaeat hisad alsanawat alarbe: tadris allughat al'iinjliziat min 'ahdafah

68

taqlis alfajwat bayn altaelim aleami walkhasi [Teaching English aims to reduce
the gap between public and private education. Faisal Bin Abdullah in a
dialogue unique to Okaz to review the harvest of four years]. Okaz. Retrieved
from http://okaz.com.sa/article/524258/
Al-Gabri, A. (2013, November 11). Altaelim fi alsewdyt yatahawal min altalaqiyn
walhifz 'iilaa maharat altafkir aleulya [The education in Saudi Arabia shifts
from memorization to higher thinking skills]. AlsharqAl’awset News.
Retrieved from https://aawsat.com/home/article/9074
Al-Ghabban, A., Al-Qarni, M., Abdennour, H., Al-Rashed, A., Al-Hrash, K., AlRashid, S., Al-Qarni, M., A., (2010). Alturath aleumraniu alsaeudiu tanawue
fi iitar alwahda [Saudi unban heritage diversity within the unity]. Retrieved
from https://www.scta.gov.sa/AntiquitiesMuseums/Documents/Urban%20Heritage.pdf
Alghamdi, M. (2012). The developed curriculum: Evaluating the content of books
developed sciences for lower grades of primary school in the light of the
selection criteria (Unpublished master’s thesis). Umm Al Qura University,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from
http://libback.uqu.edu.sa/hipres/ABS/ind14697.pdf
Al-Habashan, S. (2012). Problems of fourth grade’s curriculums from the point of
view of the teachers in Aflaj Province (Unpublished master’s thesis). King
Saud University: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Retrieved from
https://faculty.psau.edu.sa/filedownload/doc-7-pdf1455fe8974773676829466004e600e64-original.pdf
Al-Harbi, A. (2012). Analyzing the content of English language textbooks for the
secondary grade and evaluating them in the light of suggested criteria for
69

linguistic proficiency (Unpublished doctor’s dissertation). Umm Al Qura
University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Al-Harbi, A. (2015). A descriptive-evaluative study of Saudi EFL textbook series.
Cogent Education, 2,1079946. doi: 10.1080/2331186X.2015.1079946
Al-Harbi, G. (2016, April). ruyat alsewdyt 2030: Altaelim bawwabat altahawul [The
Saudi 2030 vision: The education is the shifting gate], (247), 27-29. Retrieved
from https://www.moe.gov.sa/ar/KnowledgeMagazine/Documents/2471.pdf
Al-Hiti, A. (n.d). Altaelim altaqlidiu waltaelim al'iiliktrunii: waraqat eamal tulqi
aldaw' ealaa tajribat altaelim al'iiliktrunii [The traditional education and
electronic education: a working paper that highlighted the eLearning
experience]. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Arabic Language and
Islamic Studies, Bahrain University, Manama, Bahrain. Retrieved from
http://econf.usb.edu.bh/confl/pdf%20filies/35.pdf
Aljomiah, A. & Alshathri, A. (2010, December 14). Almanahij almutawratu 'akbar
min 'iimkanat almuelim watajhizat albayyat almudarasiata! [Developed
curriculum is greater than the potential of the teacher and the school
environment equipment]. Riyadh.com. Retrieved from
http://www.alriyadh.com/585203
Al-Madaniu, M. (2013 January 1). Kam eadad alsaeudiiyn fi jd!? [How many saudis
in Jeddah]. Okaz. Retrieved from http://www.okaz.com.sa/article/532837/
Al-Marefh (2012, February). Mashrue tatwir taelim allughat al'iinjlizia [English
Language Development Project]. Almarefh Magazine, (205). Retrieved from
http://www.almarefh.net/show_content_sub.php?CUV=394&SubModel=138
&ID=1404
70

Al-Nafie, A. (2013). The difficulties of carrying out classroom activities in the
developed English textbook in the first year secondary for from the point of
view of the female teachers and students in Makkah Al-Mokaramah
(Unpublished master’s thesis). Umm Al Qura: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Retrieved from http://libback.uqu.edu.sa/hipres/FUTXT/15126.pdf
Al-Nasser, A. (2015). Problems of English language acquisition in Saudi Arabia: An
exploratory -cum-remedial study. Theory and Practice in Language Studies,
5, 1799-2591. doi: http//dxedoi. org/10.17507/tpls.0508.10.
Alqarni, S. (2015). Tamalat fi waqie tadris al'iinjlizia fi almamlakat alearabiat
alsaeudia [Reflections on the Reality of Teaching English in Saudi Arabia]. EJournal of Article Cloud. Retrieved from
https://www.makalcloud.com/post/74lipevui
Al-Rrumi, A. & Al-Suydani, A. (2013, October). lamahat min almasir.. altaelim
alsaeudiu khilal 90eamaan [Profiles of the Saudi Education march for 90
years]. Almearifa magazine, (223). Retrieved from
http://www.almarefh.net/show_content_sub.php?CUV=418&Model=&SubMo
del=&ID=2063&ShowAll=On
Al-Sarijani, R. (2010). Alkataib fi alhadarat al’iislamia [ Alkataib in Islamic
civilization]. Retrieved from www.Islamstory.com
Al-Zaharani, N. (2016). Saudi students’ experience of learning English in English as a
foreign and second language settings (Unpublished master’s thesis) Mount
Saint Vincent University, Canada.
Al-Zuhairi, R. (1999). Asbab tadaniy mustawaa tahsil talamidh almarhalat
almutawasitat fi taelam allughat al’iinjizat min wijhat nazar al’akadimiiyn w
almuealimin walmushrifin fi makat w alttayif [Reasons for low achievemnt
71

level of middle school students in learning English language from the point of
view of academics, teachers and supervisors in Mecca and Taif]. (Unpublished
master’s thesis). Umm Al Qura University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Ames, C. (1992). Classroom: Goals, structures and student motivation. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 84(3), 261-269. Retrieved from
http://llgarcia.educ.msu.edu/910reading/ames%201992.pdf
Astin, A. (1984). Student involvement: A development theory for higher education.
Journal of College Students’ Development, 40(50), 518-529. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexander_Astin/publication/220017441_St
udent_Involvement_A_Development_Theory_for_Higher_Education/links/00b7d
52d094bf5957e000000.pdf

Bahamam, A. (2008). The role of the curriculum in the Islamic educational system in
facing the age challenges (suggestion conception), (Unpublished Master’s
thesis). Umm Al Qura: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from
http://libback.uqu.edu.sa/hipres/FUTXT/11438.pdf
Beaman, K. (1980). The effects of group processing on achievement in cooperative
learning group with grade one students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Simon
Fraser University: British Columbia, Canada. Retrieved from
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=
0ahUKEwjw9Nyr8InWAhVV8mMKHRKkDhgQFgguMAA&url=http%3A%
2F%2Fsummit.sfu.ca%2Fsystem%2Ffiles%2Firitems1%2F3569%2Fb140998
46.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEiJ4fqBDpJNk5YhkB18U9KZ6zJfQ
Bobbitt, F. (1918). The Curriculum [DX Reader version]. Retrieved from
https://archive.org/details/curriculum008619mbp

72

Bohm, S., Grossmann, V., & Steger, T. M. (2015). Does expansion of higher
education lead to trickle-down growth? Journal of Public Economics 132. 7994. Retrieved from: http://www.wifa.unileipzig.de/fileadmin/user_upload/itvwl-vwl/makro/team/steger/dtc21_f.pdf
British Council & English UK. (2016). Gulf States – Saudi Arabia A report prepared
for the UK’s English language sector (English Language Market Reports).
Retrieved from
https://www.englishuk.com/uploads/assets/market_reports/EUKBC_English_
Language_Report_Saudi_Arabia_WEB_R1.pdf
Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating
quantitative and qualitative research, fifth edition. Lincoln Nebraska:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Department of Curriculum and Teaching Methods (n.d). Managj tealim alabtidayiyi
[Primary education]. Retrieved from
http://www.damanhour.edu.eg/pdf/edufac/.pdf
Dewey, J. (1897). My Pedagogic Creed. The School Journal, LIV (3), 77- 80.
Eatia, S. H., Hussain, A., & Hilmi, M (2003). Almeajam Alwasit. Al-sharq
International Library, Egypt: Alnajar.
Eisner, E. (1967). Educational objectives: Help or hindrance? American Journal of
Education, 91(4), 549-560.
Griffith, L. (2011). Public school performance examining the relationship between
teacher training program and school achievement (Unpublished MPA/MPP
73

Capstone Projects). University of Kentucky: USA. Retrieved from
http://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1085&context=mpamp
p_etds
Gunuc, S. (2014). The relationships between student engagement and their academic
achievement. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their
Implications, 5(4), 216 -231.
Hamid, B. (1990). The communicative approach to language teaching in the
classroom. Akademika, 36, 103-118.
Herd, P. (1993). Adult students’ perceptions of their own learning process
(Unpublished mmaster’s thesis). Simon Fraser University: British Columbia,
Canada. Retrieved from
http://summit.sfu.ca/system/files/iritems1/5636/b15206518.pdf
Hsin, C. (n.d). Language and culture foreign language teaching. Retrieved from
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/178899.pdf
Hussain, I., Inamullan, H., Neseer, M., Hafizatullan, H. (2009). Role of the direct
teaching method in the academic achievement of students in English at the
secondary level. Journal College Teaching and Learning, 6 (4). Retrieved
from
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0a
hUKEwi284Kh_P7WAhXCsFQKHUA2C4gQFggmMAA&url=https%3A%2F%
2Fwww.cluteinstitute.com%2Fojs%2Findex.php%2FTLC%2Farticle%2Fdownloa
d%2F1157%2F1141%2F&usg=AOvVaw2HxWWZ9L8HfCKjJBksFwX-

Jansson, A. (2011). For what purpose do language teachers use group work in their
lessons? (Published dissertation). Retrieved from http://www.diva74

portal.org/smash/get/diva2:429555/fulltext04
Joyce, B. R., & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development.
[electronic resource]. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision &
Curriculum Development, 2002.
Kasumi, H. (2015). Communicative language teaching and its impact on students’
performance. Journal of Educational and Social Research. 5(1), 155-161.
Retrieved from
http://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/viewFile/6319/6057
Ke, I. & Suzuk, T. (2011). Teaching Global English with NNS-NNS Online
Communication. The Journal of Asia Tefl, 8(2), 169-188. Retrieved from
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=
0ahUKEwiGhpC6wcHWAhUI7mMKHSyDAR4QFgg3MAE&url=http%3A%
2F%2Fwww.asiatefl.org%2Fmain%2Fdownload_pdf.php%3Fi%3D139%26c
%3D1419302749&usg=AFQjCNGvjAqq1rlh-ZfBQrbCA6YRVB1ufQ
Lancaster, R. (2017). A Comparison of student-centered and teacher-centered
learning approaches in one alternative learning classroom environment
(Published doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/openview/2f65e17bc76b393acd44d101a5b21efd/1
?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Lisle, J. D. (2011). The benefits and challenges of mixing methods and
methodologies: Lesson learnt from implementing qualitatively led mixed
methods research designs in Trinidad and Tobago. Caribbean Curriculum, 18,
87-120.
Luo, L. (2013). Improving English as a second language (ESL)pedagogy in one
University in Ontario (Unpublished master’s thesis). Brock University: St,
75

Catharine, Ontario. Retrieved from
https://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/4228/Brock_Luo_Le_2013
.pdf?sequence=1
Mespel, N. (2015). alwaqie altadrisiu lilughat al'iinjliziat fi madaris altaelim aleami
[The teaching reality of English in public education]. E-Journal of Arab
Bureau of Education for the Gulf States. Retrieved from
https://www.moe.gov.sa/ar/KnowledgeMagazine/Documents/2471.pdf

McNamara, L. (2004). Technology integration and the school change process
(unpublished doctor dissertation). Simon Fraser University: British Columbia,
Canada. Retrieved from
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0a
hUKEwii5pDjYnWAhVH8mMKHbJ7DoYQFggyMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsummit.sfu.ca%
2Fsystem%2Ffiles%2Firitems1%2F9273%2Fetd0474.pdf&usg=AFQjCNF1dXWFeazPqH_Vp_6Nm5BohLlmw

Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, General Organization for
Technical Education and Vocational Training. (2004). Tatwir altaelimi; taqrir
watani; almamlakat alearabiat alsaeudia [Education development; National
report; Saudi Arabia]. Retrieved from
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE47/English/Natreps/reports/sarabia_a
r.pdf

Ministry of Education. (2011). Dalil altaelim alththanwi,nizam almuqararat
[Directory of secondary education, courses system- Fifth Edition]. The

76

Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mitchell, B. & Alfuraih, A. (2017). English language teaching in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia: Past, present, and beyond. Mediterranean Journal of Social
Sciences, 8(2), 2039-2117.
Mitchell, H., Q. & Malkogianni, M. (2016-2017). Traveller 5: Teachers’ manual,
KSA-Edition. MM Publications: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mitchell, H., Q. & Malkogianni, M. (2017). Quality ELT books & e-learning.
Retrieved from http://www.mmpublications.com/Secondary-Adult/TravellerBritish

Nahar, K. (2015). The impact of social context in students’ second language
learning (Unpublished Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and ELT dissertation).
BRAC University: Dhaka, Bangladesh. Retrieved from
http://dspace.bracu.ac.bd/bitstream/handle/10361/4199/Kashfun%20nahar.pdf?
sequence=1
Nair, G., Rahim, D., Adam, A., Setia, R., Husin, N., Subathy, E., Mohamad, R.,
So’od, S., Yusoff, N., Razlan, R., Jalil, N., Alwee, U., &Abu Seman, N.,
(2012). Group work in the secondary ESL classroom. Asian Social Science, 8,
1911-2017. doi: 105539lass.v8n10p3.
Punch, K. F. (2009). Introduction to research methods in education. Los Angeles:
Sage.
Riessman, C. (2008). Narrative methods for human sciences. Los Angeles: SAGE
publications.
Richards, J. C. & Rodgers T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language
teaching, third Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
77

Roschelle, J., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., & Means, B. (2001).
Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based
technologies. The Future of Children, 10(2), 76-101.
Shawer, S. (2010). Communicative-based curriculum innovations between theory and
practice: Implications for EFL curriculum development and effective change.
The Curriculum Journal, 21(3), 333-359. doi:101080/09585176.2010.506802.

78

APPENDIX A
Interview

Thesis Project- Saudi Arabian Developed English Curriculum
Edward R. Howe, PhD
Assistant Professor, Education and Social Work, Thompson Rivers University
ehowe@tru.ca
250-371-5526
Samirah Alghamdi
Graduate Student, Thompson Rivers University.
Ss.alghamdi1988@outlook.com 778- 886- 4810
In an effort from Thompson Rivers University, this research investigates the
comprehensive project for the Developed Curriculum in Saudi Arabia, testing the
English curriculum for the third secondary in high school. How has that change
affected students’ learning and future university’s majors? We hope the research helps
in improving the effectiveness of the developed curriculum and are pleased you have
consented to participate in this study. Your experiences are important to help us better
understand students’ learning and abilities. Please respond to this survey by answering
each of these questions. It should be only about 30 minutes to complete it. Your
responses and identity will be kept confidential. If you complete this interview, it will
be assumed that your consent has been provided. You may choose to refuse to
participate or may withdraw at any time without any consequences. Also, you can
refuse to answer any question. Any inquiries concerning the procedures of this study
may be directed to the principal directly via email or at the number above. Thank you
for participating.
Name: (Please Print)___________________________________________________
Participant’s signature_________________________________________________
Date___________________
Investigator or Delegate’s
signature________________________Date___________________
I agree to audio recording the interview. The audio recording will be destroyed after
3 years by erasing all audio files.
Signature___________________________________ Date_____________________

79

The Interview Questions.
1. What are the differences between the traditional and the developed English
curriculum?
2. Regarding the content of the textbook, which one is more appropriate and
efficient for the students’ needs?
3. Does the change from the traditional textbook to the set of the developed
textbook affect the teaching process positively?
4. What difficulties do you have teaching the developed English curriculum?
5. Did you face similar difficulties while teaching the traditional curriculum?
6.

How does the development of the curriculum affect the student’s performance
in the classroom?

7.

How does the development of the curriculum affect the student’s achievement?

8. Does the flexibility in the credit system has increased the student’s desire of
learning?
9. What training programs do teachers need to be more capable of teaching the
developed curriculum effectively?

80

APPENDIX B
Survey

Thesis Project- Saudi Arabian Developed English Curriculum
Edward R. Howe, PhD
Assistant Professor, Education and Social Work, Thompson Rivers University
ehowe@tru.ca
250-371-5526
Samirah Alghamdi
Master Student, Majoring Education Leadership, Thompson Rivers University
Ss.alghamdi1988@outlook.com

778- 886- 4810

In an effort from Thompson Rivers University, this research investigates the
comprehensive project for the developed curriculum in Saudi Arabia, testing the
English curriculum for the third secondary in high school. How has that change
affected students’ learning.We hope the research helps in improving the effectiveness
of the developed curriculum and are pleased you have consented to participate in this
study. Your experiences are important to help us better understand students’ learning
and abilities. Please respond to this survey by answering each of these questions. It
should be only about 20 minutes to complete it. Your responses and identity will be
kept confidential. If you complete this survey, it will be assumed that your consent has
been provided. You may choose to refuse to participate or may withdraw at any
timewithout any consequences. Also, you can refuse to answer any question. Any
inquiries concerning the procedures of this study may be directed to the principal
directly via email or at the number above. Thank you for participating.
Name: (Please Print)
_____________________________________________________
Participant’s signature_______________________________
Date________________
Investigator or Delegate’s signature ____________________
Date________________
Part A: Demographics
1. What high school(s) did you
attend?______________________________________
2. What is your
age?_____________________________________________________
3. Are you currently a student?
a) Yes
b) No
81

4. What is your gender?

a) Male

b) Female

Part B: Please choose the response that best describes your view.
Strongly
Question
Disagree Disagree Undecided Agree
1.I can fully understand
the subject explained
1
2
3
4
throughout the lesson.
2.The textbook helped
me to better understand
1
2
3
4
the course.
3. I find the textbook’s
content very interesting.
4. The textbook’s
content greatly
developed my skills.
5. I can understand the
contents of the textbook
on my own without the
need for a detailed
explanation from the
teacher.
6. The textbook’s
content corresponds with
my abilities.
7. I find that dividing the
curriculum into six
courses is very effective
step.
8. The textbook helped
me to complete the midterm exam and carry on
my education.
9. This course was a
valuable learning
experience for me.
10. This course
challenged me to do the
best work.
11. I think that the
teacher can deliver the
course’s content
excellently.
12. The teacher helped
me to understand the
course.
13. The teaching
methods increased my
ability to understand the
course’s material.

Strongly
Agree
5

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

82

14. The flexibility in
courses selection has
increased my desire for
learning.

1

2

3

4

5

83

‫‪APPENDIX C‬‬
‫مشروع بحث‪ -‬منهج اللغة اإلنجليزية المطور في المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫إدوارد آرهاو‪ ،‬دكتوراه‬
‫أستاذ مساعد في التعليم والخدمة االجتماعية‪ ،‬جامعة تومسونريفرز‬
‫‪ehowe@tru.ca‬‬
‫‪5526-371-250‬‬
‫سميرةالغامدي‬
‫طالبة ماجستير ‪،‬تخصص القيادة التربوية‪ ،‬جامعة تومسونريفرز‬
‫‪Ss.alghamdi1988@outlook.com‬‬
‫بناء على محاولة من جامعة تومسونريفر‪ ،‬هذا البحث يتحر المشروع الشامل لتطوير المناهج الذي تم تطبيق في‬
‫السنوات القليلة الماضية في المملكة العربية السعودية‪ .‬هذه الدراسة االستقصائية سوف تختبر منهج اللغة‬
‫اإلنجليزية المطورة للصف الثالث ثانوي‪ .‬من خاللها سوف تتم دراسة اثر هذا التغيير على الطالب ‪ .‬كلنا امل‬
‫ان هذا البحث سوف يساعد في تحسين فعالية المناهج الدراسية‪ .‬كما انه يسرنا جدا موافقات على المشاركة في‬
‫هذه الدراسة‪ .‬خبراتكم و تجربتكم مهمة لمساعدتنا في فهم تعلم الطالب وقدراتهم بشكل افضل‪ .‬يرجى الرد على‬
‫هذه الدراسة من خالل اإلجابة على كل هذه األسئلة‪ .‬سوف تستغرق اإلجابة على هذه األسئلة ما يقارب العشرين‬
‫دقيقة‪ .‬مع العلم ان الهوية والرد سيتم االحتفاظ بها في سرية تامة‪ .‬اذا أكملت هذه الدراسة‪ ،‬سيتم افتراض انك‬
‫قدمت موافقات للمشاركة في هذه الدراسة‪ .‬اذا اخترت رفض المشاركة يمكنك ذلك كما انه يمكنك االنسحاب في‬
‫أي وقت‪ .‬يمكن توجية أي استفسار بشأن اجرارت الدراسة الى الباحث مباشرة عن طريق البريد اإللكتروني أو‬
‫على الرقم أعاله‪ .‬شكرا لك على المشاركة‪.‬‬
‫االسم‪_____________________________________________________________:‬‬
‫توقيع المشارك ______________________________________التاريخ_____________‬
‫توقيع الباحث او المندوب ________________________________التاريخ_____________‬
‫الجزء االول‪ :‬التركيبة السكانية‪.‬‬
‫‪ )1‬ما هو اسم مدرستك الثانوية؟ ____________________________________________‬
‫‪ )2‬ما هوعمرك؟ _____________________________________________________‬
‫‪ )3‬هل أنت حاليا طالب؟ أ) نعم ب) ال‬
‫ا) ذكر‪ .‬ب) انثى‬
‫‪ )4‬هل انت ؟‬
‫الجزء الثاني‪ :‬الرجاء اختياراالستجابةالتي تصفوجهة نظرك‪.‬‬
‫أوافق‬
‫السؤال‬
‫بشدة‬
‫أستطيع أن أفهم الموضوع الشروح خالل‬
‫‪1‬‬
‫الحصة الدراسية بشكل كامل‬
‫ساعدني الكتاب الدراسي في استيعاب المادة‬
‫الدراسية بشكل افضل‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫أوافق‬

‫متردد‬

‫الأوافق‬

‫الأوافق‬
‫بشدة‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫أجد أن محتوى الكتاب المدرسي ممتع و مثير‬
‫جدا لالهتمام‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫محتوى الكتاب المدرسي طورمهاراتي الى‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪84‬‬

‫حد كبير‬
‫استطيع فهم محتوى الكتاب المدرسي دون‬
‫الحاجة إلى شرح مفصل من المعلم‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫محتوى الكتاب المدرسي يتوافق مع قدرات‬
‫الطالب‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫أجد ان تقسيم المنهج المدرسي إلى ست‬
‫مقررات للمادة الواحدة خطوة فعالة جدا‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫المادة الدراسية ساعدتني في تخطي االختبار‬
‫الفصلي وإكمال تعليمي‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫دراسة هذه المادة تعتبر تجربة قيمة بالنسبة‬
‫لي‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫هذه المادة تحدتني كي اقدم افضل مابوسعي‬
‫اعتقدان المعلم يمكنه تقديم محتوى المادة‬
‫بشكل ممتاز‬
‫ساعدني المعلم في فهم المادة الدراسية‬
‫طرق التدريس زادت قدرتي على فهم‬
‫محتوى المادة‬
‫المرونة في نظام المقررات زادت في رغبتي‬
‫في التعلم‬

‫‪85‬‬