Reading: A Key Skill for English Learners in Saudi Arabia - Essay Sample

Introduction

The reading skill is the most beneficial to an English learner. Reading helps learners to become better readers. It improves the writing skills of students. It builds the vocabulary of learners.it helps learners become self-sufficient (Alsamadani). It means that students have the independence of deciding what, when, and where to read. Lastly, reading helps improve the self-esteem of learners.

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Saudi Arabia is also at the forefront of the English language and has introduced it in their education system. Since Saudi Arabia is an Arab country, English there is either taken as a second language or a foreign language. Thus most people using the language already speak another voice, which is usually the local dialect. Though many people like the idea of speaking a new language, English learning has brought with it a lot of hurdles.

The English classes for Saudi college students have been lagging due to one major problem. Saudi Arabian college students also find the English language difficult to read. As a result, there is a need to consider whether applying extensive reading will be the solution to improve their reading comprehension. The paper is going to look at the English classes in Saudi's context.

It will also look at the level of reading comprehension in the teaching of English. And lastly, it will look at the importance of extensive reading to a student of English in a Saudi college. After this, there will be a clear answer of whether the unrestricted reading technique used in teaching English will improve reading comprehension to Saudi freshman college students.

Statement of the Problem

There isn't much literature about the problem, particularly the importance of extensive reading to improving college learners reading comprehension. Thus this study is limited to finding out the effects of an inclusive reading technique used in teaching English to improve reading comprehension to Saudi freshman college students. This study aims to help English as a Foreign Language teacher to improve reading comprehension among college students.

Literature Review

In looking at the Literature review of English classes in Saudi Arabia, It is clear that it is faced with a myriad of issues. Firstly English classes are overcrowded. An overcrowded room reduces the morale of both students and the leaners. A teacher will never get the opportunity to execute their teaching strategies which will be beneficial to the students (Meng). Secondly, the issue of English classes incorporating the use of the Arabic language in the teaching of English.

It is a crime for a teacher to adopt a bilingual approach in this class. If certain words or expressions are difficult to comprehend, the teacher can employ the use of diagrams. Thirdly, there aren't enough resources set aside for English classes in Saudi Arabia's education system (Satriani). As a result, teachers are limited in their approach to teaching the English language.

To sum it all up, English classes in Saudi Arabia are not the best for a student to improve his reading comprehension of the English language. It is for the above reasons that college student's especially freshmen, find it difficult to understand the language. It also justifies this study as a new strategy, which is extensive reading that needs to be introduced in classes.

In looking at the Literature review of Reading Comprehension in the second language or a foreign language, Ii is a clear fact that people who are L2 students adopt the use of the different reading models. They do not have one exclusive model they employ for reading. As a result, L2 learners may either use the bottom-up approach or even a top-down technique in reading different documents.

It should be noted that l2 learning is a multifaceted kind of education. The reason for this is that learners have a variety of techniques to choose from, which will help them in reading texts. The difference between L1 learners and l2 learners is that l2 learners use a multidimensional method while L1 learners may use one approach in a specific passage. In conclusion, there is a problem with the reading comprehension standards of students.

The system needs to introduce an extensive reading method as a solution to this matter. In looking at the Literature review of training Saudi English majors in Extensive Reading to develop their standard-based reading skills, several things come out. Firstly, reading resources outside the designated English curriculum has a sweeping impact on the reading culture of the students.

It was enabled by the fact that students were allowed to select texts of their choices to read. Initially, students had a lot of difficulty in comprehending long texts. It has helped to improve their comprehension in reading long manuscripts. Secondly, students are now able to identify themes, tones, and other styles that authors often employ in writing their texts (Hidayat, and Nurinayah). Before the adoption of extensive reading, students had difficulty in analyzing a text.

Students could not be able to identify the author's message within a given text. The problem has decreased since the adoption of this strategy. Thirdly, extensive reading has contributed significantly to the improvement of the comprehension levels of the student to the standard one (Meniado). The standard one is the reading level. Saudi systems should strive to reach conventional two and three. And this will be achieved by introducing other reading strategies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the answer to the research question, whether applying extensive reading will help freshmen, Saudi college students, to improve their reading comprehension, is that it will. Extensive reading has an immense impact on the reading skill of a learner (S. S. Al Rasheed). It helps a learner to find new vocabulary, thereby building the language. It aids a learner in speaking the English language fluently by improving word pronunciation. Besides, it helps students to have an analytical mind. Students can discern the different styles employed by the writer in a particular text. They can compare distinct works and identify similarities and differences.

English, as a foreign language teacher, must employ the extensive reading technique in their classes(Al-Nafisah). These techniques will benefit their students and help them speak fluent English within a short period. The teachers should remember that extensive reading is nothing without the student being accurately motivated. The teachers can motivate the learners by giving them the freedom to choose the books they want to read. It should be noted that it is not a must that the students study the material designated for the course.

References

Al-Nafisah, K. (2015). The Effectiveness of an Extensive Reading Program in Developing Saudi EFL University Students' Reading Comprehension. Arab World English Journal, 6(2), 98-109. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol6no2.8

Alsamadani, H. (2017). The Effect of Talking Story Books on Saudi Young EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension. English Language Teaching, 10(5), 204. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n5p204

Hidayat, A., & Nurinayah, A. (2019). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXTENSIVE READING APPROACH TO IMPROVE STUDENTS' READING COMPREHENSION. PROJECT (Professional Journal Of English Education), 1(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v1i1.p1-8

Meng, F. (2009). Developing Students' Reading Ability through Extensive Reading. English Language Teaching, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v2n2p132

Meniado, J. (2016). Metacognitive Reading Strategies, Motivation, and Reading Comprehension Performance of Saudi EFL Students. English Language Teaching, 9(3), 117. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n3p117

S. S. Al Rasheed, H. (2014). Examining the Effectiveness of Pre-reading Strategies on Saudi EFL College Students' Reading Comprehension. English Language Teaching, 7(11). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v7n11p79

Satriani, E. (2017). The Effect of Using Online Reading Resources toward Students' Reading Comprehension in Extensive Reading Class. JOURNAL OF ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC, 4(2), 37. https://doi.org/10.25299/jshmic.2017.vol4(2).668