English Cultural Elements Presented in the Saudi English Learning - Thesis Example

Chapter four presents the evidence from the documents and the findings. The selected textbooks and framework for analysis are introduced, and following this is the actual textual analysis of each of the textbooks. A further comparative and general analysis is then also made and discussed before detailing and ordering the textbooks according to their foreign cultural content, and subjecting them to quantitative frequency analysis for both content and image data. An analysis of the study framework is made at the end.
Chapter five presents the conclusion and discusses implications for further research. The chapter includes a summary of the entire paper, a review of the methodology adopted in light of the study, and recommendations for further research.
1.2 Background
1.2.1 English language learning in Saudi Arabia
Introducing English in Saudi Arabia as a foreign language has gone through many stages. According to Seghayer (2005), the introduction of Teaching English in Saudi Arabia was due to the Saudi government’s realization of the importance of English to train its citizens to be capable of communicating with the outside world. Another factor was the oil industry in Saudi Arabia. This factor has pushed the Saudi government to develop special foreign language programs for people who are in the field so that they can conduct successful communication. A third reason is the large number of annual Muslim visitors to the two holy mosques. Therefore, Saudis need to learn English to be able to communicate with English-speaking pilgrims. From this perspective, the Saudi government decided to introduce English language teaching in 1954 (Al-Harlan, 2003).
Having mentioned these three main factors led the researcher to think deeply about the relationships between them. That is, what is considered “inside” and “outside” the culture. In other words, which of the three factors is seen as a Saudi factor and which is seen as a foreign one?
The oil industry required western engineers and experts to come to Saudi Arabia.