Evaluating an Integrated EFL Teaching Methodology in Saudi Universities: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Abstract-This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and suitability of the integrated holistic method for teaching EFL skills embedded in an Oxford ® series of courses selected for study at the lower-to-upper intermediate levels of learning EFL, namely Open Forum 3, Well Read 3 -Effective Academic Writing2. Participants of the study were selected from the population of students in a Southwestern Saudi university. The sample included 52 participants in intermediate levels. Researchers employed a pre-test, posttest control group design in a quasi-experimental method to evaluate the instructional effectiveness of the integrated holistic teaching method. Findings indicate that the treatment in this study, the Integrated Skills Treatment, had a significant effect on student performance in all skills presented instructionally according to an integrated, holistic approach. Further findings showed that the experimental group participants achieved improvements in gain scores compared with their peers in the control group on the tested language skills, namely listening and speaking, reading, and writing. Qualitative data from a follow-up questionnaire study asserted the effectiveness and appropriateness of an integrative pedagogy to teaching EFL skills. The paper, in the end, provides a set of relevant implications and recommendations for further pedagogical practice and further research implications.

Tapping the Potential of Skill Integration as a Conduit for Communicative Language Teaching

“…Several researchers in the Arab world (e.g., Aljumah, 2011;Mekheimer & Aldosari, 2013;Shaaban, 2013) have, moreover, reported a similar tendency among English teachers in Arab EFL settings toward more skill separation and less skill integration in their classrooms. Teaching the skills separately can be driven by a teacher's belief that it is more practical to teach the skills one at a time than to integrate them in order to cope with the demands of the textbook or the teacher's guide.…”

“…Largely due to the centralized nature of educational systems in many Arab countries, attempts at educational reform by introducing innovative techniques such as the implementation of integrated skills instruction are routinely constrained by the educational culture and the local traditions of how teaching and learning are to be performed. For example, Mekheimer and Aldosari (2013) conducted a quasi-experimental study in which two groups of Saudi university level students were exposed to two different treatments. The experimental group was exposed to the integrated skills treatment and the control group had no particular emphasis on skill integration but was exposed to a traditional syllabus that separated the skills.…”

“…It would be no surprise then to find most English teachers in Kuwait to be familiar with the integrated skills technique and work to implement it in classroom activities. But unfortunately and despite the great appeal of the integrated skills technique, several research studies (e.g., Aljumah, 2011;Mekheimer & Aldosari, 2013;Shaaban, 2013) indicated that this technique has not been met with enthusiasm by English language professionals and teachers in EFL settings including several countries in the Arab world. The following sections are devoted, therefore, for what we considered as the biggest stumbling blocks facing the implementation of the integrated skills technique in Kuwait: (1) systemic curricular constraints as represented in teachers' continued reliance on the separate skills teaching technique, and (2) the negative washback effect of traditional English tests.…”

The Effect of an Integration-Based Instructional Strategy on Developing EFL Students' Listening Skills at Al-Al Bayt University

“…Skills integration according to Mekheimer & Aldosari (2013) is " a skill-based approach to teaching language skills all in one"(p.1265). Furthermore, a number of researchers (Brown, 2001;O'Malley & Chamot, 1994;Mekheimer & Aldosari, 2013;Sanchez, 2000;Tavil, 2010;Wu & Alrabah, 2014) highlight the importance of skills integration in foreign language classrooms.…”

“…Furthermore, a number of researchers (Brown, 2001;O'Malley & Chamot, 1994;Mekheimer & Aldosari, 2013;Sanchez, 2000;Tavil, 2010;Wu & Alrabah, 2014) highlight the importance of skills integration in foreign language classrooms. They confirm that among the advantages of skills integration is that it helps learners to use the language they learnt in the classes.…”