The Historical Development of EFL Writing Instruction in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The growing importance of EFL writing and its teaching has generated a need to explore them deeply in the Saudi context. This study aimed to follow how teaching EFL writing has developed in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it aimed to investigate features and practices associated with teaching EFL writing during different periods of time. To achieve these aims, I used two qualitative methods: 1) semi-structured interviews with 11 expert educators from Saudi Arabia, and 2) Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) to the pre-existing body of content related to teaching EFL writing in Saudi Arabia, which consisted of 97 units of analysis. To analyze data, Clarke and Braun’s reflexive thematic analysis using MAXQDA software was used to analyze the interviews, while Roller and Lavrakas’ Total Quality Framework using Excel Worksheets was used to analyze the qualitative content. I found that teaching EFL writing in Saudi Arabia has undergone three periods of historical development. Furthermore, I found that the features of teaching EFL writing were various during the three periods of time. Finally, practices adopted by Saudi educators and students when teaching or learning EFL writing were different. This study ended with its usefulness and directions for future research.