SCIENCES POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS MAKING ENGLISH THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION IN MOROCCAN TERTIARY EDUCATION

Authors

  • Khadija Sekkal Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sais-Fez, Morrocco
  • Moulay Abderrahman Sidi Hida Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sais-Fez, Morrocco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v11i1.5163

Keywords:

English as a global language, the language of instruction, the language of progress and prosperity, the language of the future

Abstract

The current study investigated the attitudes of Moroccan university students in scientific disciplines towards using English as a language of instruction in tertiary education. Major published articles on English language described the upsurge of its speakers in the expanding circle as phenomenal. Morocco is no exception. Studies have shown that there has been a growing interest in learning English among youth. By the same token, students have been less enthusiastic about French currently used in academic settings and believe that English is more useful for the future of the country. In order to test the validity of the claim, quantitative research in which ninety-eight university students from different master’s program participated was conducted. The aim was to know their attitude towards making English the medium of instruction in higher education and either confirm or disconfirm the claim made by researchers in scholarly journals. After undertaking a survey questionnaire, it was shown that the vast majority of postgraduates specializing in scientific disciplines were in favor of using English in their studies. They definitely wanted English to take over French currently used in academic context in Morocco.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

Author Biographies

  • Khadija Sekkal, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sais-Fez, Morrocco

    Moulay Abderrahman Sidi Hida has been working at the American Language Center as an EFL teacher for twenty-four years. He holds a master’s degree in Linguistics with a concentration in TEFL and is a doctoral student, specializing in teaching methodology in higher education. He is a Via Lingua teacher trainer. Abderrahman has given several presentations and workshops for both ALC and public school teachers. He currently occupies the position of Head Coordinator at the American Language Center of Marrakesh. He recently published an article on Testing Designer Methods Relevance in the 21st Century Teaching in Moroccan Secondary Education: https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejes/article/view/4532/7167

  • Moulay Abderrahman Sidi Hida, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sais-Fez, Morrocco

    Sekkal Khadija is a senior professor at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sais-Fes, Morocco. In 2007, she held a Doctorate in Gender Studies. She taught at Ibn Tofail University, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Kenitra, Morocco, from 2007 to 2017. She has published several books and articles on language teaching and learning, proverbs, folktales, and folk dances. Her research interests include, among others, gender, Amazigh oral culture, and applied linguistics.

References

Ayoub, L. and Ayoub, N. (2018). On Language Policy in Morocco: Towards a Prestige Planning Approach. HAL Open Science, p. 4. Retrieved from https://shs.hal.science/halshs-02867658

Belhiah, H. and Abdelatif, A. (2016). English as a Medium of Instruction in Moroccan Higher Education. Arab World English Journal.

Crystal, D. (2003). English as a global Language, (2nd ed). Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 3 – 5

Crystal, D. (2019). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of English Language, (1st ed). Cambridge University Press, p. 115

Errihani, M. (2017). English Education Policy and Practice in Morocco. In book: English Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa (pp.115-131). Springer.

Ennaji, M. (2005). Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in Morocco. Springer Science & Business Media, Inc., p.120

Jenkins, J. (2009). “Who Speaks English Today?” World Englishes. A Resource Book for Students, (2nd ed). London: Routledge, pp. 15-24

Kachru, B. (1992). World Englishes: Approaches, Issues and Resources. Language Teaching, 25, 1-14. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444800006583

Nunan, D. (2015). Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Taylor & Francis, Routledge, New York.

Pennycook, A. (2017). The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, London and New York.

Sadiqi, F. (2003). Women, Gender and Language in Morocco. Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands, p.50.

Downloads

Published

2024-01-11

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2024)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).