Increasing Cultural Competence for Saudi English Language Learners in the UK

Due to the wide cultural gap, university students in the UK from Saudi Arabia may often find cultural interaction overwhelming. The main objectives of this study are to explore the importance of cultural competence in English language learning for Saudi Learners in the UK context and to establish recommendations for including cultural competence in English language teaching and learning. There were 87 participants in total who took part in the study; they were subsequently split into 3 groups of 67, 10 and 10. The study employed an action research model which included a preliminary investigation using 67 quantitative questionnaires and 10 qualitative semi-structured interviews. Subsequently, a two day intervention workshop took place and was attended by 10 Saudi participants studying in the UK. This intervention was evaluated through semi-structured interviews in which the students were asked to cite the benefits or equally the disadvantages of such initiatives and to talk about their struggles of cultural competency. The conclusion is that some form of cultural awareness preparation, such as workshops, can be beneficial for newly arrived students in the UK