The participants were EFL teachers and students from three women’s universities in Saudi Arabia, and the age of participantsis 18 years old and over. The teachers were teaching English as a foreign language for students studying in the preparatory year; and the students were in their preparatory year. The preparatory year, as mentioned earlier, is the first year in the university, and more information about this year is provided in Chapter 1.
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The technique used for sampling was ‘convenience sampling’. It is a non-random sampling method and is defined as ‘the selection of individuals who happen to be available for study’ (Mackey & Gass, 2005, p.122). Mackey and Gass (2005) point to some strengths and limitations of using convenience sampling in second language research. The main disadvantage of convenience sampling is that it is likely to be biased, which affects population representation. However, using such sampling techniques has many advantages, as the respondents’ participation depends on their willingness to be involved in the study, and there is a ‘match between the timetable for the research and their own schedules and other commitments’ (Mackey & Gass, 2005, p.122).
Before approaching participants, ethical approval from the ‘Research Ethics Panel’ at the University of Salford was obtained (Appendix 1). Then, emails were sent to six universities that teach English as a general language to give them an overview of the study and to ask them to participate. These universities were chosen for two main reasons: some are the largest universities in Saudi Arabia, while others were chosen for pragmatic reasons, as they are located in the city where the researcher lives. The emails were followed by telephone calls. Out of six universities (four government universities and two private universities), three universities replied positively and agreed to conduct the study on their premises. One of the universities was a government university, while the other two were private; they will be alphabetically coded as A, B and C. As has been mentioned in the Introduction Chapter, the participating universities teach general English to all the enrolled students before they start their undergraduate study; and these universities represent typical university settings for preparatory year in Saudi universities. More information about each university will be given in the following sections.
102 4.3.1. University A
University A is a government university. All students who are admitted to this university have to successfully pass the preparatory year. After the successful completion of the preparatory year, students start studying in their intended department. Some departments in the university, such as medicine, nursing and computer science, use English as their medium of instruction. Other departments, such as history, psychology and geography have Arabic as their medium of instruction. Students have to pass an intensive language course, whether their future academic department is taught in English or Arabic. Students who have an intermediate TOFEL or IELTS level in English can be exempted from studying the English course in their preparatory year.
The main aim of the preparatory year is to develop students’ English to at least intermediate level, which is equivalent to B1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), (Appendix 2). The English course consists of four levels: beginner, elementary, pre-intermediate and intermediate. The students take a placement test at the beginning of the preparatory year and are then allocated to the appropriate level. The curriculum is determined by the policymakers in this university. The materials used in teaching is the ‘New Headway Plus Special Edition textbook series’, and each level is taught in seven academic weeks for 18 hours per week. By the end of the level, students are assessed to make sure that they reach the required English standard. The assessment includes speaking tests, writing tests and multiple- choice tests (University A, 2013).
103 4.3.2. University B
University B is a private university. It requires students whose standard of English is below advanced (below 500 in TOEFL) to undertake a foundation course in English. The main aim of this foundation course is to improve students’ English level and to bridge the gap between their previous education in secondary school and the educational environment of the university.
Students are allocated to their level based on a placement test and an interview. Each level has a duration of fifteen weeks and requires students to study an intensive English course for about 19 hours per week. As is the case with the previous university, the curriculum is designed by policymakers and it involves reading and critical thinking, academic writing, listening and speaking. EFL teachers, in this university, use a number of books to teach general English, and do not focus on covering a single textbook.
Students take a placement test at the end of each level to determine if they can progress to the next level. Students who have obtained a score of 500 or more in TOEFL are exempted from the foundation year and they can start studying at the university immediately. One of the features of this university is that it promotes extracurricular activities in the preparatory year as they are included in the timetable and students are offered bonuses for attending such activities. This university also invites a number of L2 speakers to give lectures during the academic year (University B, 2013).
104 4.3.3. College C
This is a private college, which will be referred to for the purpose of this study as University C in the following chapters because there is, as mentioned earlier, no difference in the degree offered by this college and the universities. The main aim of the college preparation programme (CPP) is to prepare students for the college academic level by developing their standard of English to the advanced level and mathematics. Policymakers are responsible for the curriculum taught in the different EFL courses. Each course includes five modules which are writing, grammar, listening and speaking, reading and study skills. Students are allocated to their level based on their TOEFL scores. Students study English for about 17 hours per week and when they have achieved a score of more than 500 in a paper-based TOEFL, they can start their academic programme at the college. If this is not achieved, they are tested at the end of each course to determine if they can progress to the next level. This college is also visited by L2 speakers and examples of prominent speakers who have visited are the UK Prime Minster David Cameron and the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton (College C, 2013).
Having explained the sample of the study, a presentation of the research instruments follows in the next section.