English Language Teaching and Learning in Bangladesh- Dr. M. Enamul Hoque

The role of English language as a lingua franca makes it a unique language in the world. This distinctiveness does not only refer to the language itself, but also to the ways it is taught as a foreign language. Learning a foreign language takes place step by step in which a number of factors play a direct role. This study intends to shed light on the state of “English Language Teaching and Learning at the Alim Level in the Madrashas in Bangladesh”. It tries to unveil the problems encountered by the Alim students (higher secondary), sketch a picture of teacher-student interaction and their linguistic behaviour in the class, and evaluate the level of performance of students in the four basic skills of English language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The study suggests certain remedial measures to overcome the problems or hindrances lying in the process of teaching -learning activities. The investigation goes around some domains directly related to applied linguistics and ELT: textbook materials, syllabuses and curriculums, teaching methods and approaches, status of teachers, teaching aids and equipment, perception of needs of English, preference of learning strategies, testing and assessment, etc. For the present study, 1000 Alim students and 25 English teachers teaching English to the same students are randomly selected from 24 madrashas located in both urban and rural areas. The data for the present study is collected through questionnaires: student questionnaire and teacher questionnaire. The findings of the present are presented in the pie charts and tables. The data is analysed in the descriptive and the contextual methods. The study reveals that the major problems in English language teaching and learning at the Alim level lie with the textbook materials, syllabus, uninteresting lessons, method of teaching, avoidance of practicing listening and speaking, poor quality of teachers, lack of physical facilities of the classroom, very poor quality teaching aids and equipment, etc. The study finds correlations between the teachers and the students on a number of issues. Contradictions are also found between them on some points relating to English language teaching and learning. A good amount of literature related to the current study is reviewed to correlate and support the present study. The major findings of the present study suggest that cooperative learning helps significantly to enhance the learners’ oral communicative competence and their motivation towards learning English. On basis of the findings, a good number of suggestions for NCTB, Madrashas Education Board and English language teachers are made for the further improvement of teaching and learning English in Alim classes. Finally, suggestions for future research are given. The present study, thus, claims to have social vitality, reliability and validity as it provides enough insights into the English language teaching and learning at the Alim level in the madrashas in Bangladesh.