In Pakistan, English is one of the official languages and the language of higher education, a prerequisite for professional positions, and the most prestigious language. However, access to English ...may not be the same for people belonging to different socioeconomic statuses because of different school systems. There are different schools for the elites to which ordinary people have no access. This study explored access to English in different schools employing a qualitative design strategy, a phenomenological case study. Data were collected through participant observation in four different types of schools, through interviews of the administrators, teachers, and students. The symbolic power of language and sociolinguistics of English were used as theoretical framework. The data were coded and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. The study found that English language instruction prepares students for variant social roles in different schools focusing on developing different linguistic resources and social capital, which perpetuate class structure.
This article argues that English should be considered as a national language in Pakistan in order to make it accessible to ordinary people and remove the negative assumptions attached to it. Using ...language planning and policy perspective, it suggests that instead of seeing traditional language as a problem, language policy should adopt language as a resource, which should not only be limited to a local or indigenous language(s), but should also be extended to other modern languages, such as English in Pakistan. Such a shift will reduce some of the problems of language planning and policy; it will not only reduce the burden on ordinary students to acquire (a) different second language(s), but will also make knowledge accessible to them through the use of their mother tongue and English. It will also help in reducing social stratification, as currently society is divided into elite and lower classes, with the class structure being perpetuated with the help of varying school systems and differential use of and access to Urdu and English. This study can lead to new debates about the use of English in non-English-speaking societies.
English, being used predominantly at the official level, in higher education, and in the job market, is the most sought after language in Pakistan. Access to quality instruction in and for English, ...however, remains a dream for most of the socio-economically disadvantaged students. This study explores the amount, intensity, and quality of access to English instruction in general school systems in Pakistan through a phenomenological multi-case study perspective. Employing symbolic power and sociolinguistics of globalization as theoretical framework, observations of and interviews with the relevant stakeholders were used as instruments of data collection. The data were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The findings suggest that the very education system hinders the students studying at general schools from ever achieving the high-level English skills that could accrue cultural, symbolic or economic capital for them. The general schools inculcate in students a habit to be dependent instead of original thinkers and to resolve with the fate of serving at lower social positions, thereby perpetuating their dominated status. The general schools are thus breeding social inequality and stifling the mobility of the underprivileged students. Language education policymakers and practitioners, therefore, need to reform education systems in order to rectify the inequality perpetuated.
Research exploring the role of English in Pakistani education system usually focuses on the use of English as the medium of instruction. However, in this paper I argue that English language should ...also be discussed in the context of its indispensibility in social mobility and survival in Pakistan. In fact, English plays a number of crucial roles in some developing countries, of which Pakistan is one (Mansoor, 2003; Rahman, 2002). In Pakistan, English is one of the official languages and a prerequisite for professional jobs (Rahman, 2005). Because of its use in the domains of power, English can be seen as a source of self-improvement and as a means of career success (Mansoor, 2003; Rahman, 2002). Thus, the knowledge of English is a key indicator of social class and people consider it superior to other languages (Shamim, 2008). However, the use of English in education is one of the main sources of failure for many ordinary people (Bruthiaux, 2002). English is used as a control mechanism to play a gate-keeping role in access to higher education and key social positions (Coleman, 2010; Rahman, 2002). The imposition of English in education and its perceived prestige create additional problems for low socioeconomic status (SES) students who often have limited access to English.
Fandom practices are often considered meaningless and unnecessary. However, the use of social media carries the potential for positive as well as negative impact on the users. Using the fraemwork of ...Community of Practice, the latest theory addressing community formation and interaction, as its theoretical framework, the study explores the Twitter-based online fandom community (called stan twitter) of Korean Pop-Music (K-Pop) as a working Community of Practice (CoP). This community is a hub of non-native English language speakers, who actively communicate on this platform. This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews and participant observations to collect data, and analyzes it using qualitative coding. The study finds that the members of K-Pop Stan Twitter form interpersonal bonds, communicate regularly, and create a close-knit community where everyone contributes in their own capacity. The study suggests that the platform in question does possess the characteristics to be considered a working CoP, with the addition of another element that makes it unique: power hierarchy among the participants of the community, which is usually the least noticed aspect in research on online platforms. Moreover, it carries implications for inculcation of various positive qualities in the users.
Research exploring the role of English in Pakistani education system usually focuses on the use of English as the medium of instruction. However, in this paper I argue that English language should ...also be discussed in the context of its indispensibility in social mobility and survival in Pakistan. In fact, English plays a number of crucial roles in some developing countries, of which Pakistan is one (Mansoor, 2003; Rahman, 2002). In Pakistan, English is one of the official languages and a prerequisite for professional jobs (Rahman, 2005). Because of its use in the domains of power, English can be seen as a source of self-improvement and as a means of career success (Mansoor, 2003; Rahman, 2002). Thus, the knowledge of English is a key indicator of social class and people consider it superior to other languages (Shamim, 2008). However, the use of English in education is one of the main sources of failure for many ordinary people (Bruthiaux, 2002). English is used as a control mechanism to play a gate-keeping role in access to higher education and key social positions (Coleman, 2010; Rahman, 2002). The imposition of English in education and its perceived prestige create additional problems for low socioeconomic status (SES) students who often have limited access to English.
Storytelling was initiated, as a part of this study, in a Pakistani university's undergraduate English class, involving reflective discussions and journal writing, to create a safe space where ...students can raise their voices. In a collectivist society, like Pakistan, society's norms are preferred over individual agencies (Bittles & Small, 2016), which instills a "collectivist obligation" amongst the youth to follow society's ways (Watkins & Biggs, 2001, p. 282) and, ultimately, distancing critical thinking (Feyyaz, 2016) and muting disparate voices (Zaidi et al., 2016). Moreover, Pakistan, being a developing country, faces multiple social and political issues (Droogan, 2018; Saeed et al., 2014) adding further pressure on these young minds. With technology, media, and education, the country's youth, especially majors in English, have started comparing their norms with modern values (Zubair, 2006) resulting in adjustment issues (Haidar, 2021a) which require attention and ventilation. In this study, the classroom was developed as a venting space for students whereby storytelling helped students in confronting conflicts, deliberating causes and navigating solutions. Data from journaling, discussions, and students' interviews revealed these practices were helpful in attaining mental peace, developing tolerance and building stronger human connections.
English writing skills are important in English language teaching due to the practice of evaluating students' academic performance in English writing both of other subjects' content knowledge and of ...English language itself. However, students come to high schools with baggage of varying linguistics competencies due to differential exposure to English at home and schools. Elite class students are exposed to social and linguistic capitals both in family and educational institutions, while ordinary people lack the resources to provide such exposure to their children. How such differential upbringing affect their performance in English language proficiency including English writing skills has been less focused earlier. This study explores the role of socioeconomic statuses on students' writing skills. Employing qualitative research methodology, this study elicited English writing samples of different text types from the Higher Secondary School (HSSC) level students. Along with writing tasks as sample, data were also collected through ten students' narratives and focus group discussion of five teachers. Data were analyzed inductively through coding, categories and themes. The study found that socioeconomic factors such as social capital that is environment, cultural capitals like mother and father education, reading books, watching English movies and cartoons and school contribute to the writing skills of the students. The study calls for giving more importance to the English writing skills in the English instructions.
The recent years have observed a notable rise in online activities and interactions. One of the popular online interaction zones are fandom communities comprising fans of any artist, band, TV show, ...movie, book, and so on. These fans come together on various platforms to enthuse about their favorites with people who share their admiration and interests. One such platform is Twitter and the fandom community is Stan Twitter. Within those fandoms, K-Pop fandom stands out because of the density of English as a second or foreign language speakers in this community. Taking this community as its sample, this study explores the ways in which the non-native English speaking fandom members use English to communicate on this platform. Moreover, the study focuses on the interpretation and usage of meme discourse by these non-native English speaking members. The findings reveal that the fandom members learn memetic discourse by internalizing it in the form of schemas, which means that they learn the whole chunk of interaction rather than learning individual words. The study has also explored overall language-learning within this community, and has discussed the implications of fandom activities as potential learning aids.
This paper explores language ideology, policies and the role of English in Pakistan and China, two countries in which English plays different roles in education. Owing to globalization and ...communication development, the role of the English language is changing; thus, there is need to change the policies and ideologies surrounding English instruction, particularly when English functions as a lingua franca. In Pakistan, the role of the English language is linked with language ideology due to the country's British colonial background. The society is still divided on the role of English and the colonial mindset persists in language ideology and instructional practices. By contrast, English is taught as a foreign language in China because it is not a postcolonial language. While the English language fulfils people's different communication needs, there is a concern that people might lose their own identity if English is viewed as more important than their own mother tongue. Therefore, this paper summarizes how the debate related to English language teaching is linked to various language ideologies. Finally, this paper argues for the importance of viewing English language teaching through a multilingual perspective, and contextualizing language policies to readdress learners' different needs and goals of English learning.
