Intervention Strategies in a Saudi English Classroom at Majma'ah University

Verbal reports and English teachers’ classroom experience at Community College of Majma'ah University (MU) warn that underachievement is an educational crisis in the making. And in the paucity of research findings to raise the institutional awareness of the phenomenon, coupled with the lack of relevant professional training programs to deal with the situation, the crisis could be further aggravated. This study is an attempt to address underachievement among English students at Community College; it particularly reports a tripartite teaching strategy comprising three intervention methods: orientation, use of the students' first language (L1) and multiple mid-term exams. This teaching strategy has been devised to achieve two objectives: to motivate the students to improve their performance; and to help them acquire new (college-related) study skills. In the light of what has so far been done, it can be concluded that the majority of the students are able to excel academically provided that they are properly informed and guided to discover these abilities.