Implementation and Impact of CEA Accreditation Standards for Quality Assurance and Improvement: A Comparative Analysis of US and Select Saudi Arabian Educational Institutions

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore, review, and assess the standards set by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA). Additionally, it aims at finding what steps have been taken for applying those 11 standards for ensuring quality assurance, improvement, and sustainable change brought in with deliberate effort to align status with those standards and substandards of CEA. Through collaboration with an accredited American institute at a prestigious and well recognized university in the U.S. and other CEA-accredited institutions there, this study will be an effort for examining if there is an alignment of CEA standards with the cultural and environmental needs of Saudi English language institutions. By utilizing mixed methods, including interviews, content analysis, and surveys, the research provided actionable insights for enhancing English language programmes in Saudi Arabia, particularly at the educational institutions located in the Eastern Region. The results showed that the majority of U.S. respondents (89%) reported that CEA accreditation had an impact of English language on education of English language programmes in Saudi Arabia while 68% of the Saudi responses viewed that there was impact of CEA on English education in Saudi Arabia. The results also showed that implementing CEA standards in Saudi institutions will entail a range of challenges, with resource constraints and cultural misalignment being the most significant ones. The findings also pointed out need of some strategies that could be used to better implement the CEA standards including enhancing faculty training programmes, localizing curriculum and adopting culturally contextual pedagogies relevant to Saudi environment. The findings revealed that getting CEA accreditation offers several long-term benefits in student success and achievement, programme quality improvement, and faculty development. These findings also contributed to professional development, curriculum reform, and institutional improvements in line with Vision 2030, ensuring that language programmes in Saudi Arabia are better formulated and equipped to address the needs of the industrial and academic sectors in.