Saudi students studying English as a foreign language often do poorly in their English courses, and despite a growing number of studies on this issue the root causes have remained a mystery. To gain a more comprehensive perspective, this study investigated the underlying reasons for Saudi EFL learners performing poorly in English by including all major stakeholders. This study attempts to find out the potential underlying reasons for the low performance of Saudi EFL learners. The researcher conducted qualitative interviews with two educational consultants, six university teachers, six graduate students, and six high school teachers. In addition, quantitative data came from high school students via a questionnaire addressed to 100 participants. The data revealed a shared chain of factors related to objectives, learners, teachers, curricula, assessment, and practicality. The findings suggested a gap between the theories consultants used to set class objectives and actual practice. This gap stemmed from consultants not consulting with or directly evaluating people in the field, such as educators, students, or university staff. The study recommends researchers get an overview of Saudi English learners at the macro level rather than focusing solely on their performance in one language skill. That should produce more valid, reliable, and practical suggestions to improve Saudi EFL learners’ performance.

中文翻译：

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调查沙特 EFL 学习者的英语水平低下

将英语作为外语学习的沙特学生通常在英语课程中表现不佳，尽管关于这个问题的研究越来越多，但其根本原因仍然是个谜。为了获得更全面的视角，本研究通过纳入所有主要利益相关者，调查了沙特 EFL 学习者英语表现不佳的根本原因。本研究试图找出沙特英语学习者表现不佳的潜在根本原因。研究人员对两名教育顾问、六名大学教师、六名研究生和六名高中教师进行了定性访谈。此外，定量数据来自高中学生，通过一份针对 100 名参与者的问卷调查。数据揭示了与目标、学习者、教师、课程、评估和实用性。调查结果表明，顾问用于设定课堂目标的理论与实际实践之间存在差距。这种差距源于顾问没有咨询或直接评估该领域的人，如教育工作者、学生或大学教职员工。该研究建议研究人员从宏观层面了解沙特英语学习者，而不是仅仅关注他们在一种语言技能方面的表现。这应该会产生更有效、可靠和实用的建议，以提高沙特 EFL 学习者的表现。该研究建议研究人员从宏观层面了解沙特英语学习者，而不是仅仅关注他们在一种语言技能方面的表现。这应该会产生更有效、可靠和实用的建议，以提高沙特 EFL 学习者的表现。该研究建议研究人员从宏观层面了解沙特英语学习者，而不是仅仅关注他们在一种语言技能方面的表现。这应该会产生更有效、可靠和实用的建议，以提高沙特 EFL 学习者的表现。