Effective Teaching Strategies to Eliminate Spelling Problems Among Saudi English Language Undergraduates

Abstract

Saudi university students who learn English as a foreign language face multiple difficulties during the process of learning especially while mastering writing skill and its component (spelling). This paper aims to explore the most recommended teaching strategies to eliminate the Saudi university students’ spelling errors. The research participants were 15 students in English Language Department at Tabuk University and 15 English language lecturers from the same department. Group structured interviews were designed for the lecturers and students. The findings reveal that, there are different effective teaching strategies to master English spelling such as, practicing spelling, lecturers’ pedagogical practices and Learners’ Engagement. This paper concludes that, the spelling problems of EFL learners could be addressed by a variety of intervention strategies such as, instructors should be introduced to a range of teaching methods such as simulation situations where they can experience problems arising from poor spelling and roleplaying .Students should also be encouraged to engage in the learning process by setting tasks like, learning the spelling of a few selected words, which they can test each other on in pairs class and so evaluate their own and their peer’s work. This paper hoped that, the findings revealed in this study will help the policymakers in taking necessary actions in improving the learning experience of Arab learners of English.