Challenges of Teaching English in Tertiary Education in the Arab World

Abstract

A critical look at the current state of English language teaching (ELT) in the Arab world shows that because the teaching of English starts in the first grade or even earlier in most countries, one would expect that by the time learners reached university, they would have no problem pursuing their studies through the medium of English. However, expectations are one thing, and reality is another. On the ground, there are frequent complaints from all stakeholders in the education process (students, parents, teachers, and school administrators) about the low proficiency levels attained by learners as they exit high school. University English language proficiency tests, such as TOEFL, IELTS, AUB-EN, and SAT, show that only about 20-25 percent of applicants to universities get the required scores for joining regular study programs, and the remaining admitted students would have to join an intensive English remedial course before they could take major courses (Shaaban, 2013). The recent trends in the field of education in response to the demands of the globalized job market placed great emphasis on the development of what came to be known as ‘21st-century learning skills’ such as critical thinking and problem solving, intra- and inter-cultural communication, creativity and innovation, digital knowledge, effective oral and written communication, and collaboration and teamwork (Scott, 2015; Suarta et al, 2017). These new educational expectations have added to the burden of language communication educators, a burden that could be made lighter only through restructuring of curricula and teaching practices in order to primarily provide these practitioners with the proper training to help them sharpen and redirect their goals, skills, attitudes, and practices in order to fulfill their mission adequately