Issues in Developing the English Language Curriculum from the Perspective of English Language Teachers in the City of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and a Proposed Vision for Its Development

Abstract

The current research aimed to identify the challenges in developing the English language curriculum in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and then to present a proposed vision for its development. The researcher used the descriptive survey method, to achieve this goal. The researchers adopted a questionnaire as the primary tool for collecting data from a sample of (384) English language teachers in the city of Makkah. The study reached several conclusions, most notably that teacher-related challenges in developing the English language curriculum had a mean score of 3.42 and a high level of response, resulting from low levels of pre-service training and increased administrative and professional burdens. Student-related challenges in developing the English language curriculum" had a mean score of 3.29 and a moderate level of response, resulting from issues such as the heavy workload of study units and students' tendency to use Arabic in the classroom. Challenges in developing the English language curriculum related to the classroom environment had a mean score of 3.54 and a high level of response due to high student density and a lack of language stimuli in the classroom. Finally, challenges in developing the English language curriculum related to the teaching methods had a mean score of 3.63 and a high level of response due to the heavy reliance on traditional teaching methods and the neglect of oral skills. The researcher recommended the necessity of establishing training centers in Makkah Al-Mukarramah to train teachers on integrating modern and advanced technologies into the classroom learning environment, and integrating study units with similar objectives to reduce the cognitive burden on students.