ABSTRACT
This chapter considers research conducted by Saudi scholars over a period of around 25 years on issues of teaching and learning English as a second/foreign language in Saudi Arabia. The implementation of the Saudi Government’s very generous and wide-ranging Scholarship program, which has involved funding the tertiary studies of a large number Saudi nationals at overseas institutions (mostly in the USA, UK, and Australia), has given a substantial boost to Saudi scientific research in a variety of academic fields including English as a second/foreign language (EFL). Consequently, over the past 15 years or so numerous research projects have been undertaken by Saudi researchers – most typically as part of a PhD program at a Western institution – examining a plethora of issues relating to EFL teaching and/or learning in Saudi Arabia. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of this research effort and identifies the most common themes in it.
