However, the study has some limitations. The study has limitations in depth in
discussion of features of speaking due to the broad range of aspects the study focussed
on. The study also was limited to one developed secondary school for females in Saudi
Arabia. Therefore, no male teachers or male students were involved in this study as
data collection procedures in public schools in Saudi Arabia are only allowed by
researchers of the same gender in accordance with Islamic principles. Moreover, the
findings of this study are limited to the study population from which the sample was
taken. However, the findings of the current study could be helpful for understanding the
teaching of EFL speaking in the context of Saudi Arabia at large, as discussed above
with reference to the generalisability of the study. In addition, another limitation is the
fact that the researcher did not directly measure the actual speaking proficiency of the
participating students. The data suggests that they are likely to be strongest in (planned)
production and presentations, weakest in interactional activity, such as negotiation of
meaning and management of interaction. However, the researcher does not know
exactly what they were learning from their English lessons. The researcher had to rely
on observation and self-report to assess their English speaking skills, where it would
have been useful to have direct evidence