The study is structured to investigate the teaching of English as a foreign language
(EFL) in the Saudi Arabian girls’ education system. The particular focus of the study is
on the teaching of speaking, which is considered to be a weak aspect of English
language instruction. The study aims to investigate how the speaking skill is taught, as
well as the attitudes of both teachers and Year 1 secondary school students toward the
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skill. The current EFL speaking teaching practices in Saudi Arabia will be compared
with international practice and recommendations will be made for future development
of speaking instruction. The study attempts to address the following issues: