Challenges to Lexical Development Among High School Students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: The Impact of Teacher Training Deficiencies in Vocabulary Methodologies

Abstract

The levels of English proficiency among high school students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have remained low despite concerted efforts by the government through the Ministry of Education to improve performance in this area. One factor causing this poor performance is a lack of lexical development among students. The present study sought to investigate the impact of inadequate teacher training on students’ lexical development using secondary data from existing research on teacher training in the KSA and the lack of attention to methodology, particularly in the context of vocabulary teaching. The results revealed that more attention is given to grammar than vocabulary, which negatively impacts lexical development among learners in high schools when undertrained teachers do not have the requisite competence to equip students with the skills for vocabulary learning. The study lays the foundation for a more empirical approach through research methods that can produce generalizable findings. It also provides recommendations that have critical implications for stakeholders in the education sector, extending from teacher training institutions and academia to policy makers and curriculum developers in the KSA.