English as the Medium of Instruction in Saudi Higher Education: Necessity or Hegemony?

Abstract

English has been implemented as the medium of instruction of engineering, medicine and science in Saudi universities. This decision was taken by some universities without consultation with students or teaching staff, and stands in violation of the Saudi policy that states that Arabic should be the language of instruction. This study investigates the attitude of 702 Saudi students and 162 instructors towards English as the medium of instruction, and towards Arabic as an alternative. The Component of Attitude and the Theory of Reasoned Behavior were adopted to analyze the findings. It explores the consequences of these choices based on theories regarding functions of attitude among students and instructors of the Science Colleges in King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. Sub-themes include the effectiveness of English as the medium of instruction for Saudi students; the consequences of imposing English as the medium of instruction; the potential of Arabic as the medium of instruction in higher education, and students’ right to be taught in their own mother tongue. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used based on a questionnaire survey. Findings show strong attitudinal differences between students and instructors, which may be attributed to the degree of hegemony affecting the groups.