Adverse Effects of the Current Instructional Practices for Macro and Micro Language Skills on Saudi EFL Learners’ Skills and Competencies (Published)
Instructional approaches to language teaching are cornerstones around which to build effective processes for learning English, or more precisely the most successful and effective ways to learn English. The aim of this article is to explore the adverse effects that current instructional practices, which favor using the four macro language skills along with other language-related skills, have on the development of Saudi EFL learners’ skills and competencies. In particular, we identify the extent to which teaching the four macro language skills and other language-related skills together in the Saudi EFL educational system negatively impacts the abilities of those who are learning English as a foreign language (EFL). We highlight the ineffective, indeed detrimental, effects of EFL teaching practices in the classroom, derived as a result of intensive research with data gathered from both digital and non-digital sources and studies and from our own thorough compilation, observations, mosaic of evidence, and in-depth analysis. We hope that this study will be useful for improving EFL teaching in Saudi English classrooms and will ultimately contribute to the attainment of higher English proficiency.
Keywords: Competencies, Skills, four macro language skills, instructional practices, language-related skills, pedagogic approaches. Saudi EFL learners