Integrated language and content instruction in Qatar Independent schools: teachers’ perspectives

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore teachers' attitudes towards the shift to English as a medium of instruction in Qatari Independent schools. It focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of this approach for teachers and students, and the challenges they face in the process of its implementation. Data for the study were collected by means of a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. Findings point to teachers' beliefs that while the approach has benefited them and their students, it is a challenging process. The challenges teachers face are organizational in nature relating to ineffective planning for the introduction of the change, lack of teacher preparedness for its implementation, and parents' resistance to this change. These results have implications for teacher training in the Qatari context and for planning of the introduction of change in English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language contexts.

Language Teacher Cognition in Applied Linguistics Research: Revisiting the Territory, Redrawing the Boundaries, Reclaiming the Relevance

“…For example, understanding “what language teachers know, believe, think, and do” (Borg, , p. 81) has been used as a broad umbrella defining this research domain's scope. Indeed, a cursory glance at a sample of recent work published under the label of language teacher cognition shows that new research continues to explore teachers’ cognitions about a wide range of aspects of second language (L2) teaching, including pronunciation (Baker, ), speaking (Baleghizadeh & Shahri, ), listening (Graham, Santos, & Francis–Brophy, ), assessment (Büyükkarcı, ), integrated content and language instruction (Ellili–Cherif, ), technology (Sardegna & Dugartsyrenova, ), and many more. These descriptive mappings of what teachers believe, know, and do provide important insights that enable us to appreciate specific content areas and curriculum domains from the teachers’ perspectives.…”

Unwelcome? English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in the Arabian Gulf

“…On the other hand, Arab instructors who lack confidence in their English skills are now expected to provide instruction in EMI classrooms. More than 60 percent of teacher interviewees expressed their displeasure over the reforms in a recent study (Ellili-Cherif, 2014). More importantly, Ellili-Cherif also mentions they consider the reforms as a threat to Qatari culture and language.…”

“…In the State of Qatar, for example, under the Education for a New Era (EFNE) reform, the ruling family has decreed the establishment of a bilingual education system as a means of transition to English as a medium of instruction. Under the leadership of the mother of the Emir, Her Highness Sheikha Moza Al-Misnad, the drive for English proficiency is projected to continue in order to realize the Qatar National Vision 2030 (Ellili-Cherif, 2014). In the governmental schools known as independent schools, Arab teachers lacking English proficiency have been expected to master the language in a very short time to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL).…”

Feasibility of Introducing English as a Partial Medium of Instruction in Iranian Senior High Schools

“…According to Dearden (2015), EMI refers to "the use of the English language to teach academic subjects in countries or jurisdictions where the first language (L1) of the majority of the population is not English" Research shows that the most efficient language for primary school education is the children's first language, and other languages are more likely to make students drop out of school (UNESCO, 2008a contexts like Qatar has led to the parents' and teachers' displeasure (Ahmadi, 2017;Ellili-Cherif, 2014).…”