scholarly journals Indigenous Culture and Academic Discourse: A Critique of English Textbooks in Pakistan

2017 ◽  
Vol II (I) ◽  
pp. 130-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azhar Habib ◽  
Inayat Ullah
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
English Language ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Specific Method ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
International Language ◽  
English Textbooks ◽  
The Government

The paper aims to explore how far English textbooks in Pakistan embody Pakistan and its culture. In this connection, the reading passages and pictures/images of the textbooks taught at secondary level in the government schools of Punjab were analyzed. It was a mixed method study and the specific method employed was content analysis. For this purpose all the reading passages of both the textbooks were firstly categorized and quantified into three categories; Source Culture/s, Other Culture/s and Neutral and then the cultural elements of Source Culture/s were discussed qualitatively using an adapted checklist. The results of the study reveal that the English textbook of class 9 has 12 passages out of which 75% have Source cultural elements, 8.83% have cultural elements of Other Culture/s and 16.66% are Neutral. As far as the English textbook of class 10 is concerned, there are 13 reading passages out of which 23.07% have Source cultural elements, 15.38% have cultural elements of Other Culture/s and 61.53% are Neutral. The findings of the study show that English, being an international language and as a result of globalization, has become compulsory for people belonging to different countries to learn it. However, in order to retain their identity, they try to appropriate English language to underpin their own culture/s through English language used in the textbooks of Pakistan.

scholarly journals Critical Thinking Perspective in ESL New English Textbooks: A Case Study of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Hind Alfadda ◽  
Maryam Fatima ◽  
Abdul Ghaffar ◽  
Muhammad Afzaal
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
English Language ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Model Schools ◽  
English Textbooks ◽  
The Government ◽  
Training Need

This study examines ESL textbooks of English language of grade 9th and 10th of Punjab model schools in Pakistan. In order to achieve the goals of research, the qualitative method was used and applied Paul Elder’s Critical Thinking Model (2008) on the text books of grades 9 and 10. The collected data was analyzed qualitatively. Activities mentioned in the textbooks of grades 9 and 10 of Punjab textbook board were extracted and analyzed in the light of Paul and Elder’s CT model. ESL teachers’ interviews regarding the said textbooks serve as an insight into the role of critical thinking among learners. Mention the period of analysis. There relevance exists between the exercises given in English textbooks with the model of critical thinking prosed by Paul and Elder. However, the teachers of Government schools are unaware of the critical thinking perspective and some sessions of critical thinking training need to be offered to the English school teachers of Government schools. The results of the study have significant implications for material developers. The study recommends that the Government of Punjab may provide a training program to the teachers who may get some sort of training and implement on the students the best of teaching practices in Pakistan. In the same context, the analysis of interviews shows that teachers have been playing a passive role in the promotion of CT in the teaching process. Hence, there is a need to organize some training sessions to make them aware of the basic concept and importance of CT in Pakistan.

scholarly journals I am what I am: Exploring the identity construal in Pakistani School EFL Textbooks

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-691
Author(s):  
Tazanfal Tehseem ◽  
Naima Tassadiq ◽  
Rabia Faiz ◽  
Lala Rukh
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Genre Theory ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Discursive Strategies ◽  
Linguistic Patterns ◽  
English Textbooks ◽  
The Government ◽  
Sociopolitical Identity ◽  
Sociocultural Identity

This paper aims at exploring how identity is construed in children’s literature and how the powerful legitimize to identify the textbook consumers by exercising their influence. Drawing on Systemic-functional Linguistics (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2014), particularly Genre theory (Martin and Rose, 2008), it examines how English language textbooks used in Pakistan are written to construe, a project, and normalize a particular sociocultural identity. The sociocultural positioning being projected through the textbooks can be norm-conforming, contesting or can suggest otherwise. The majority of the students in Pakistan are mandated to learn state governed textbooks which serve them build up a sociopolitical identity. Therefore, underlying semiotic modalities realizing a perspective are pertinent to be explored in order to unfold discursive strategies for constructing identity. It is widely acknowledged that any educational curriculum is the most effective tool to construct and circulate a reality. Therefore, challenging any literacy pedagogy embedding particular outcomes can help transforming educational practices across the school curriculum (Martin and Rose, 2012). The data comprises Punjab English textbooks for the government schools. The findings suggest that the intriguing intricacies of textbook discourses can be successfully examined through analyzing linguistic patterns and that the textbooks construe sociocultural identity. The findings also provide insightful implications for discourse analysis based on SFL by contributing explorations of identity.

scholarly journals A Teacher-Based Evaluation of the English Language Textbook (Get Ready1&2) for Saudi Fourth Grade Primary

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Deyap Arar Alenezi
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Female Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perspectives ◽  
Academic Year

This study aimed at evaluating the EFL textbook ` Get Ready 1&2` used in the fourth grade of primary school from the perspectives of male and female teachers in Arar city in Saudi Arabia. The textbook was published by Macmillan, and it was specially developed for use within Saudi Arabia’s cultural environment and for both boys’ and girls’ schools. The Ministry of Education has started using this textbook in schools in the current academic year 2013/2014. This study will focus on teachers’ perspectives, and it will be a macro evaluation. The researcher designed a mixed method study by gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. The researcher distributed a close-ended questionnaire consisted of 55 items and nine categories for 30 teachers to gather quantitative data and carried out an interview with five male teachers to gather qualitative data. The study evaluated the textbook in terms of the layout and design, objectives, skills, supplementary materials, topics and content, cultural values, structure and vocabulary, activities and tasks, and teachers’ manual. In general, the findings of the study revealed that teachers were satisfied about the textbook in all of the nine categories with some demerits. The cultural values category got the highest mean score of 4.54 out of 5.00 whereas the skills category got the lowest mean score of 3.47 out of 5.00. In the light of these findings, the researcher reports some recommendations to address the drawbacks of the textbook and other problems that have an impact on properly delivering the textbook.

scholarly journals Writing Anxiety Among Saudi Female Learners at Some Saudi Universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Nafilah M. Aloairdhi
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Writing Apprehension ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Writing Anxiety ◽  
Specific Formula

Writing is an important skill in language learning and in academic achievement. The level of writing anxiety could affect students' achievements positively or negatively. This research aimed to examine the writing anxiety among Saudi female learners enrolled in English language departments at some Saudi universities. It also aimed to identify the sources of writing anxiety. To this end, a mixed method study was designed in which Writing Apprehension Test (WAT) Scale by Daly and Miller (1975) and an open-ended question were used to collect necessary data from 105 randomly selected learners. For data analysis, two different statistical procedures in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and a specific formula suggested by Daly and Miller (1975) were applied. Coding was applied to qualitative data. The results indicated that the participants (N = 105) experience moderate level of writing anxiety. In addition, the main sources of writing anxiety were evaluation, generating ideas, grammar, time pressure, and lack of confidence.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Parenting Styles on Personality Traits of Children at Secondary Level

2020 ◽  
Vol V (III) ◽  
pp. 133-141
Author(s):  
Aqsa Saleem ◽  
Imran Latif Saifi ◽  
Sadia Noreen
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Government ◽  
Psychological Term ◽  
Development Of Students

Parenting style is basically a psychological term that leads us to the approaches that were used by the parents to bring up their childrens in their childhood. The main focus of the study was to explore the effectiveness of parenting styles on the personality of children at the secondary level. Objectives of the study were to explore the effectiveness of parenting styles on the personality of children at the secondary level and to recommend proposed parenting styles for the development of students personality of children at the secondary level. This study followed a mixed method in nature and followed survey design. All the children of class 10 and their parents were the population of the study from the government and private schools of Faisalabad city. It is highly recommended that parents may be provided awareness session to now the importance of their parenting styles and their impact on the personality traits of their children. It is recommended that the government may provide funds and also provide technical facilities. More researches may be conducted on the subject cited above. Curriculum agencies may develop a curriculum on the subject so everybody may have an idea about parenting style also.

English in Pakistani public education

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liaquat Ali Channa
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Public Language ◽  
National Education ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Grade One

Abstract The article reviews the past, present, and future position of English in the Pakistani language-in-education policy for the Pakistani government schools. The article first traces how the English language came to Pakistan, and underlines the social domains in which English is commonly used at the present time. The article highlights the fact that English has enjoyed the highest social position in Pakistan since the country’s establishment in 1947. Taking this fact into account, the article traces historically the status of the English language in the language-in-education policy for the government schools since 1947 to the present time. I argue that students from the elite and non-elite English medium schools end up being more literate in English and having better access to social mobility than the students from the Pakistani government schools because of the low quality education and the poor instruction of English as a subject taught through traditional teaching methods of imitation and memorization. In order to reduce the gap, although the recent National Education Policy (NEP 2009) of Pakistan has recommended not only teaching English as a compulsory subject in grade one onward but also using it as a medium of instruction in grade four onward for the content subjects such as science and mathematics in the Pakistani government schools, the current predicament of Pakistani public education raises questions and controversies about the successful implementation of the policy. The main suggestion of the paper is the fact that since teachers are the major agents of change in realizing such curriculum reforms at their classroom level (Fullan & Stiegelbauer, 1991), their perspectives, perceptions and attitudes must be sought as well as included in such policy making processes. Because the voices of Pakistani government teachers are overlooked in such top-down language policies, this paper implies that the their experiences, attitudes, and perspectives about the present and future role of English in public language-in-education policies need to be explored to better understand the potential future implications for Pakistani teachers and their education. Such steps not only make policies inclusive but also gauge how far such English initiatives are facilitative in raising the quality of education and developing English language literacy in Pakistan.

scholarly journals FAKTOR PEMILIHAN KURSUS BAHASA CINA DAN BAHASA JEPUN: SATU KAJIAN PERBANDINGAN

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAI-CHEE LAM ◽  
NUR ATHIRAH BINTI SUIB ◽  
FOO-TERNG HOE ◽  
SHEAU-PING WEE
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Qualitative Interview ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
International Language ◽  
Questionnaire Method ◽  
The University

Walaupun bahasa Inggeris merupakan bahasa antarabangsa, tetapi bahasa-bahasa lain turut memainkan peranan dalam bidang dan hal tertentu. Senario global ini menjelaskan sebab perlunya bahasa asing dipelajari. Kajian ini membandingkan faktor-faktor dan trend pemilihan bahasa Cina dan bahasa Jepun sebagai kursus pelengkap oleh pelajar di Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). Seramai 100 orang responden mengambil bahagian dalam kajian yang menggabungkan kaedah kualitatif (temu bual) dan kuantitatif (soal selidik) ini. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa faktor intrinsik lebih berpengaruh untuk pelajar bahasa Jepun, sementara faktor ekstrinsik lebih menyerlah untuk pelajar bahasa Cina. Hasil kajian ini boleh menjadi rujukan para pengajar untuk tujuan penambahbaikan kursus dari segi kandungan dan penyampaian supaya seiring dengan kehendak terkini pelajar universiti.   Even though English functions as an international language, other languages still play their role in certain fields and areas. This global scenario explains the need of learning foreign languages. The current study compares the factors and trend of choosing Chinese and Japanese as elective by university students in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). A total of 100 respondents took part in this mixed-method study, which combines qualitative (interview) and quantitative (questionnaire) method. The results show that the extrinsic factors are more influencial for the students taking Japanesewhile the intrinsic factors are more influential for those taking Chinese. The results can be a good reference for instructors in improving their courses in terms of content and delivery to fit the latest needs of the university students.

scholarly journals Developing Capital in Language Learning: A Mixed-Method Study on Vietnamese English Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Ngoc Tung Vu ◽  
Hoa Do
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Symbolic Capital ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Social Fields ◽  
Vietnamese Higher Education ◽  
The Common

English-as-a-Lingua-Franca’s acceleration serves an ultimate goal of preserving English language users’ cultural and linguistic identities. In Vietnam, English has emerged as the common language in the education sector, since it aims to equip learners with language proficiency and competence. Hence, it enables the acquisition of linguistic and cultural capital, which is fundamental to accentuate the future Vietnamese workforce’s personal commitment and competitive advantage in the globalized labor market. Therefore, this mixed-method study seeks to fill missing literature on how capital is acquired and developed through language learning in Vietnamese higher education, based on the interpretation of Bourdieu’s (1986) capital stances in social fields. Among 194 English learners from various cultural and disciplinary backgrounds, data suggested that (1) all forms of capital developed very differently and (2) symbolic capital was directly associated with other forms of capital. Implications are also presented at the conclusion of the article.

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