The introduction of English in grade 6 in Tunisia [Ressource électronique] : a case-study at the classroom level / Hela Barkia Boussabah

Master of Arts : Linguistics and applied language studies : Carleton University : 2007

Bibliogr. p. 112-115

According to Daoud (2001), language policy and planning in Tunisia have been applied to three domains: Arabisation i.e. the endorsement of Modem Standard Arabic as the language of education, administration and communication; the preservation of French as a means to achieve modernization and economic development, and lately, the promotion of English to gain wider access to science, technology and global trade. The aim of this study was to investigate how English was implemented at the 6th grade level, and to evaluate whether or not the policy behind it was working. Applying a case study approach, the implementation of English at the 6th grade of primary school in Tunisia was examined within the classrooms of three teachers. The results of the study suggested that, despite the deficiencies in top-down planning, students were highly motivated to learn and the teachers, despite their differences and the challenges that some of them were facing, were all doing the best they could to help students learn the language. The policy regarding English seemed to be working in the classrooms considered here, although the results cannot be generalized beyond the three classes that were observed. More research needs to be done to investigate the outcomes of this reform over time