Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Billie Andersson

Abstract

AbstractFor many years, the integration of English language into Saudi Arabia's culture, education, and curriculum were not of importance. A gap in literature exists regarding this phenomenon of localizing regional teaching practices, or pedagogy, to better meet Saudi students' learning needs while adhering to the social, political, and cultural constraints of Saudi society. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perspectives of university-level English as a second language (ESL) teachers who have taught in Saudi Arabia concerning the use of culturally relevant pedagogy to provide students with effective and engaging instruction. The conceptual framework was based on the culturally relevant pedagogy of Ladson-Billings, exploring teachers' perspectives about localizing pedagogy to improve Saudi students' ESL skills. The research questions focused on ESL teachers' perspectives about providing culturally relevant pedagogy to improve English language proficiency. Ten ESL teachers with experience teaching Saudi students for a minimum of 3 years were selected. Transcripts were analyzed using NVivo and open coding. Findings indicate that ESL teachers use student learning opportunities during instruction to reflect cultural competence built on cultural knowledge and experiences brought to school. Findings about culturally relevant pedagogy support may benefit educational stakeholders involved in developing programs to better fit the needs and language proficiency of the Saudi students. The implications for positive social change are reflective in how ESL teachers support students' cultural backgrounds as an asset and build on the knowledge Saudi students possess through assisting them in learning new concepts while supporting their academic and cultural identities.

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