Reading Strategy Instruction in Saudi Schools

Abstract

This study explores the attitudes of Saudi EFL teachers toward explicit instruction of reading strategies. The study also compares actual practices of Saudi teachers with their beliefs and attitudes toward reading strategy instruction. In this study, quantitative data were collected using an attitude questionnaire, while qualitative data were collected using observation and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed by using means, standard deviations, and the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. Qualitative data from a semi-structured interview were also analyzed to explore teachers' knowledge about reading strategy instruction. The results of this study show that Saudi teachers believe strongly in the importance of cognitive reading strategies and that they have insufficient knowledge of the importance of metacognitive reading strategies. The study ends with recommendations for training Saudi EFL teachers in some of the most effective metacognitive reading strategies to help students plan, monitor, evaluate, and regulate their learning.