English Language Teaching in Saudi Public Schools: Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Teacher-Related Challenges

Abstract

This study presents a systematic review of research on English language teaching in Saudi public schools, examining the alignment between instructional practices and Communicative Language Teaching principles. Despite extensive national reform initiatives, curriculum modernization, and the earlier introduction of English across grade levels, concerns persist regarding classroom implementation and students’ communicative proficiency. Using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, ten studies published between 2012 and 2023 were selected, including peer-reviewed journal articles, a doctoral dissertation, and a scholarly book chapter. Data were extracted through a structured analytical framework and examined using thematic synthesis combined with descriptive frequency analysis to identify recurring patterns in pedagogical approaches, assessment practices, classroom language use, and teacher-related structural constraints. The findings reveal the continued dominance of grammar-translation instruction and memorization-based assessment, while communicative reform is consistently recommended across the reviewed literature. Teacher preparation, professional autonomy, and systemic institutional limitations emerge as central factors shaping instructional practice. Although coherent patterns were identified, the limited number of available studies restricts broad generalization of the findings. The review therefore calls for rigorous classroom-based empirical and intervention research to evaluate communicative reform initiatives more systematically within the Saudi public school context. Future studies should incorporate longitudinal experimental designs and replication.