This paper explores the shared and individual experiences of Saudi women studying English as a Second Language (ESL) in the United States at an intensive English language program prior to entering college and graduate programs. Saudi women face cultural communication practices that they would not encounter in their home country, most notably the use of the English language but also the integration of multiple gender identities in a single institution. Understanding the cultural and educational needs and preferences of this population is imperative to cultural competency and growth in the ESL classroom and beyond. I would like to share some examples of my findings from conversations I had with five women who I will refer to as Nora, Aseel, Reem, Maryam, and Yara. The women in the study generally possessed confidence in their intellectual attributes. However, most of them described themselves as shy—and with their shyness, they were unable or unwilling to exhibit a blatant confidence in their classroom conduct, limiting their spoken interactions and adding additional challenges to their academic performance. This reticence challenges educators who seek to engage their students in classroom discussions and exercises. I examine the participants’ general perceptions of their positionings and their English language learning in order to advocate for an engaging ESL classroom. In our conversations, the participants shared the ways they positioned themselves in response to three of the most prevalent challenges they faced: balancing family and school, struggling with reticence, and overcoming stereotypes. Balancing family and school involved struggling with time management and homesickness. Aseel explained how, during class, much of her attention was focused on taking care of her family:

中文翻译：

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定位和参与：让沙特女性参与第二语言课堂

本文探讨了沙特女性在进入大学和研究生课程之前在美国通过强化英语语言课程学习英语作为第二语言 (ESL) 的共享和个人经历。沙特妇女面临着她们在本国不会遇到的文化交流实践，最显着的是使用英语，以及在一个机构中整合多种性别认同。了解这一人群的文化和教育需求和偏好对于 ESL 课堂内外的文化能力和成长至关重要。我想分享一些我在与五位女性交谈时发现的例子，我将她们称为 Nora、Aseel、Reem、Maryam 和 Yara。研究中的女性普遍对自己的智力属性充满信心。然而，他们中的大多数人都形容自己很害羞——而且由于害羞，他们无法或不愿意对自己的课堂行为表现出公然的自信，限制了他们的口头交流，并给他们的学业表现增加了额外的挑战。这种沉默对试图让学生参与课堂讨论和练习的教育工作者提出了挑战。我检查了参与者对他们的定位和英语语言学习的一般看法，以倡导参与性的 ESL 课堂。在我们的对话中，参与者分享了他们如何定位自己以应对他们面临的三个最普遍的挑战：平衡家庭和学校、与沉默作斗争以及克服刻板印象。平衡家庭和学校涉及与时间管理和思乡作斗争。