Khan, Humaira Irfan (2013)
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Khan, Humaira Irfan (2013) An investigation of two universities’ postgraduate students and their teachers’ perceptions of policy and practice of English medium of instruction (EMI) in Pakistani universities. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4451/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] An investigation of two universities’ postgraduate students and their teachers’ perceptions of policy and practice of English medium of instruction (EMI) in Pakistani universities By Humaira Irfan Khan A Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education College of Social Sciences The University of Glasgow (2013) Dedicated to my Dear Parents, Husband and Daughter Abstract In this thesis, I examine the perceptions of university staff and postgraduate students to explore the relation between policy and practice of English as the Medium of In- struction (EMI) in Pakistani universities. The theoretical framework of the study comprises literature on language in education policy, language in education goals, the status of English and World English. Findings from qualitative and quantitative data collected from students and staff in two public universities are compared to identify the perceptions of issues concerning EMI for postgraduate study. The findings indi- cate that although EMI is accepted as compulsory in Pakistani universities for post- graduate study, it is not fully implemented. The evidence supports the view that multi- lingualism, cultural diversity and ethnicity present challenges to the country’s national integration and the formulation and implementation of an effective language policy. The perceptions support the view that in Pakistan, English is required for socio- economic development and higher education and symbolises liberal values. However, the views signifying pride in local culture and national language highlight a potential conflict between modernity and tradition. The findings show a number of practices that indicate a pragmatic approach to implementation of the English medium policy. It appears that not only do postgraduate students express their preference for using Urdu in classroom but highly qualified university teachers’ views, under the plea of covering up their own deficiencies in English, show an inclination towards using Urdu in the classroom to accommodate students from diverse educational back- grounds. University faculty consult and provide reading material in English but post- graduate students find language and content of curriculum challenging because of their need for English language and lack of familiarity with foreign culture and phi- losophical ideology. Postgraduate students experience academic challenges arising from EMI which are demonstrated by their hesitation to speak English in classroom, difficulties of understanding teachers’ lectures, confusion of interpreting reading texts and stress of academic writing. The university teachers claim that their postgraduate students use memorisation as a strategy to get through the examinations rather than working ardently towards the development of academic skills. The responses suggest that solutions may lie in the area of reducing the anxiety that postgraduate students experience as a consequence of their language learning difficulties. The participants express their preference for using Pakistani English (PakE) in the study context. Mo- 1 tivation might act as an effective strategy to assist students to overcome their lan- guage problems. These views suggest that universities can enhance the communica- tion skills of postgraduate students through the inclusion of English language profi- ciency courses in their curricula to support language development and possibly avoid foreign language anxiety. The professional development programmes should train University staff with strategies for teaching postgraduate students using EMI. It would seem advisable that the University can encourage the use of PakE by giving it recog- nition as an acceptable variety of English in the University context. 2 Table of Contents ABSTRACT.................................................................................................... 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................... 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................. 14 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................. 16 1.1 Linguistic profile of Pakistan............................................................ 16 1.2 The context of the study.................................................................... 18 1.3 The framework of research................................................................ 19 1.4 Research Questions: Aspects of investigation................................... 21 1.5 Aims and objectives.......................................................................... 22 1.6 Significance of the study................................................................... 22 CHAPTER 2: LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION POLICIES AFFECT- ING PAKISTAN............................................................................................ 24 2.1 The policy of language in education................................................... 24 2.1.1 Language policy and implementation................................................. 28 2.2 Language policy and practice in Pakistan........................................... 29 2.2.1 Influences on language policy and practice in Pakistan: multilingualism, multiculturalism and ethnicity................................. 30 2.3 Language policies favouring English as the medium of instruction........................................................................................... 40 2.3.1 Higher education in language policies................................................ 46 2.4 Attitudes towards various languages in higher education in Pakistan............................................................................................... 47 2.4.1 Attitudes towards English as the medium of instruction..................... 50 CHAPTER 3: THE STATUS AND ROLE OF ENGLISH IN PAKISTAN AFFECTING STUDY IN ENGLISH AT HIGHER EDU- CATION LEVEL........................................................................................... 54 3.1 External influences on the status and role of English....................... 54 3.1.1 Globalization of English.................................................................... 54 3 3.1.2 Linguistic imperialism....................................................................... 57 3.1.3 English as a lingua franca................................................................. 58 3.1.4 World Englishes................................................................................ 59 3.1.5 English in South Asia........................................................................ 64 3.2 Internal influences on the status and role of English......................... 65 3.2.1 Emergence of Pakistani English (PakE)............................................ 69 3.2.2 The indigenisation of English in Pakistan......................................... 71 3.2.3 Models of English............................................................................. 74 CHAPTER 4: ENGLISH IN EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN AFFECT- ING STUDY IN ENGLISH AT HIGHER EDUCATION LEVEL............................................................................................................ 77 4.1 English language teaching in Pakistani institutions.......................... 77 4.2 English language curriculum............................................................. 78 4.2.1 Curriculum in Pakistan...................................................................... 81 4.3 Teaching methodology...................................................................... 82 4.3.1 Teaching methodology in Pakistan................................................... 83 4.4 English language assessment............................................................ 85 4.4.1 Traditional tests versus performance based tests.............................. 85 4.4.2 English language assessment in Pakistan......................................... 86 4.4.3 Wash back effect of examinations.................................................... 88 4.5 Teacher education in Pakistan.......................................................... 88 4.6 Language anxiety and achievement.................................................. 92 4.6.1 Motivation and language acquisition................................................ 94 4.6.2 Model of motivation......................................................................... 96 4.6.3 Clement et al. (1977) concept of linguistic self confidence............ 97 CHAPTER 5: METHODOLOGY................................................................. 100 5.1 Introduction: Questions....................................................................