The Role of Language Ideologies in Saudi Elementary English Education: EFL teachers' perspectives and experiences

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Three
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT068 (Friday)

Abstract

This Study explores how Saudi elementary English teachers understand and enact language ideologies amid rapid educational change. Findings reveal tensions shaped by socioeconomic contexts, national aspirations under Vision 2030, and gendered classroom dynamics. Teachers emerge as mediators who balance English as a tool for advancement and national development with the cultural and symbolic significance of Arabic and local identities. The study underscores teacher agency in shaping classroom language practices and calls for curriculum localization and teacher preparation that foster ideological awareness and promote equity.

Author

• Ghanem Alghuwainem, University of South Carolina