Rowshon Ara | Eastern University, Bangladesh (original) (raw)
Papers by Rowshon Ara
International Journal of Language Education
Bangladesh does not have an official second language. However, apart from Bangla, English is the ... more Bangladesh does not have an official second language. However, apart from Bangla, English is the only other language widely used in the country. There has been a sustained debate whether English is a foreign language (EFL) or English is the second language (ESL) in Bangladesh, for often it is found that the function of English in the country is much closer to that of the second language. English in Bangladesh had a turbulent past as well as has an undefined but overwhelming present. Due to globalization and major economic connections with the outer world the presence of English has always been there. The all-embracing state of English in Bangladesh now is undeniable. The function of English in Educational sectors, Government sectors, courts, private organizations, media and communication etc. reveal the overpowering effect of English in the lives of people in Bangladesh. As such the all obtruding impact of English in the present life posits the enquiry on the future of the language ...
The impact of Gender in EFL classroom has always been an issue of discussion. With the difference... more The impact of Gender in EFL classroom has always been an issue of discussion. With the difference of social and cultural background, the role of gender differs from nation to nation. In Bangladesh, gender role is defined based on social, cultural, and traditional beliefs. This study is an attempt to find out whether genders of learners as well as genders of teachers create barriers in EFL learning in Bangladesh. In the study a number of 198 students responded to the questionnaires prepared for a survey to find out the impact of gender of students and teachers in EFL classroom. Adding to this, 20 students and 9 teachers from a university further illustrated this issue by participating in semi-structured open ended interviews. The findings of this mixed method study reveal that the socio-culturally defined gender role of male and female in the society impacts inside English as a foreign language class in Bangladesh. Self-efficacy of teachers and learners may help address the issue. In this regard, emphasis may be put on teacher self-efficacy to raise awareness among the teachers and learner self-efficacy to help learners to consciously avoid gender discrimination in classroom at the tertiary level.
Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teach... more Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching-learning suggest that cultural barriers emerge due to the lack of successful mediation between the native language culture and the target language culture. Eventually, the teaching-learning of EFL in Bangladesh, a south-east Asian country, encounters cross-cultural barriers quite extensively as the home language culture is quite distinct from the target language culture. Therefore, this study concentrates on EFL teachers' role in promoting intercultural communicative competence among EFL learners through successful mediation of native language culture with foreign language culture.12 EFL teachers and 200 tertiary level students from Bangladeshi private universities were chosen as the subjects of this study to identify their perspectives on this issue. The findings of the study suggest the need for constructive changes in the choice and use of teaching-learning materials and teaching methods in EFL classrooms.
are English teachers at a private university have found that their students find it very difficul... more are English teachers at a private university have found that their students find it very difficult to listen to and respond in English. The compulsory foundation English courses, in the university where the authors of this paper teach, and other universities, (observed from their syllabuses) deal with all the four skills, that is, listening, speaking, reading and writing. The writers of this paper concentrate their analysis and findings only to the English speaking difficulty of students.
Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teach... more Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching-learning suggest that cultural barriers emerge due to the lack of successful mediation between the native language culture and the target language culture. Eventually, the teaching-learning of EFL in Bangladesh, a south-east Asian country, encounters cross-cultural barriers quite extensively as the home language culture is quite distinct from the target language culture. Therefore, this study concentrates on EFL teachers' role in promoting intercultural communicative competence among EFL learners through successful mediation of native language culture with foreign language culture.12 EFL teachers and 200 tertiary level students from Bangladeshi private universities were chosen as the subjects of this study to identify their perspectives on this issue. The findings of the study suggest the need for constructive changes in the choice and use of teaching-learning materials and teaching methods in EFL classrooms.
Culture, while learning a language, plays a vital role. Culture of the target language is given m... more Culture, while learning a language, plays a vital role. Culture of the target language is given much importance in learning. However, the native culture interference is also not neglected. This study speculates whether native cultural aspects, like students' religious beliefs, students' geographical background, student teacher relationship, teaching system and class size affect learning English as a foreign language in Bangladesh. Through a survey on 200 students from two private universities and an intense one on one interview of 9 teachers of one university, data is collected for this mixed method study of qualitative and quantitative research . The results are discussed in light of Sapir Whorfian theory, which has never been tested in the context of Bangladesh and Interculturality is used as a theoretical basis to emphasize on the solutions. Recommendations are made for the teachers so that they would find out possible solutions and help students to overcome the barriers caused due to cultural differences. According to the students, the most affective factor that creates a barrier in learning English is teacher-student relationship with teaching system being the second and students' geographical background being the third affective factor. Teacher interviews solidify these findings. Along with these barriers teachers opine that students' religious belief, and class size also play major roles as cultural barriers in learning English as a foreign language with most of the students being unaware of these issues. Well trained Teachers as instructors and culture bridging materials could minimize cultural barriers in learning English as a foreign language in Bangladesh. More exposure to the target culture as well as raising awareness of the issues related to cultural barriers help learners enhance the knowledge of the world and enable co-ordinate with the linguistic as well as cultural factors of learning a foreign language.
International Journal of Language Education
Bangladesh does not have an official second language. However, apart from Bangla, English is the ... more Bangladesh does not have an official second language. However, apart from Bangla, English is the only other language widely used in the country. There has been a sustained debate whether English is a foreign language (EFL) or English is the second language (ESL) in Bangladesh, for often it is found that the function of English in the country is much closer to that of the second language. English in Bangladesh had a turbulent past as well as has an undefined but overwhelming present. Due to globalization and major economic connections with the outer world the presence of English has always been there. The all-embracing state of English in Bangladesh now is undeniable. The function of English in Educational sectors, Government sectors, courts, private organizations, media and communication etc. reveal the overpowering effect of English in the lives of people in Bangladesh. As such the all obtruding impact of English in the present life posits the enquiry on the future of the language ...
The impact of Gender in EFL classroom has always been an issue of discussion. With the difference... more The impact of Gender in EFL classroom has always been an issue of discussion. With the difference of social and cultural background, the role of gender differs from nation to nation. In Bangladesh, gender role is defined based on social, cultural, and traditional beliefs. This study is an attempt to find out whether genders of learners as well as genders of teachers create barriers in EFL learning in Bangladesh. In the study a number of 198 students responded to the questionnaires prepared for a survey to find out the impact of gender of students and teachers in EFL classroom. Adding to this, 20 students and 9 teachers from a university further illustrated this issue by participating in semi-structured open ended interviews. The findings of this mixed method study reveal that the socio-culturally defined gender role of male and female in the society impacts inside English as a foreign language class in Bangladesh. Self-efficacy of teachers and learners may help address the issue. In this regard, emphasis may be put on teacher self-efficacy to raise awareness among the teachers and learner self-efficacy to help learners to consciously avoid gender discrimination in classroom at the tertiary level.
Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teach... more Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching-learning suggest that cultural barriers emerge due to the lack of successful mediation between the native language culture and the target language culture. Eventually, the teaching-learning of EFL in Bangladesh, a south-east Asian country, encounters cross-cultural barriers quite extensively as the home language culture is quite distinct from the target language culture. Therefore, this study concentrates on EFL teachers' role in promoting intercultural communicative competence among EFL learners through successful mediation of native language culture with foreign language culture.12 EFL teachers and 200 tertiary level students from Bangladeshi private universities were chosen as the subjects of this study to identify their perspectives on this issue. The findings of the study suggest the need for constructive changes in the choice and use of teaching-learning materials and teaching methods in EFL classrooms.
are English teachers at a private university have found that their students find it very difficul... more are English teachers at a private university have found that their students find it very difficult to listen to and respond in English. The compulsory foundation English courses, in the university where the authors of this paper teach, and other universities, (observed from their syllabuses) deal with all the four skills, that is, listening, speaking, reading and writing. The writers of this paper concentrate their analysis and findings only to the English speaking difficulty of students.
Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teach... more Recent researches on the impact of cultural barriers in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching-learning suggest that cultural barriers emerge due to the lack of successful mediation between the native language culture and the target language culture. Eventually, the teaching-learning of EFL in Bangladesh, a south-east Asian country, encounters cross-cultural barriers quite extensively as the home language culture is quite distinct from the target language culture. Therefore, this study concentrates on EFL teachers' role in promoting intercultural communicative competence among EFL learners through successful mediation of native language culture with foreign language culture.12 EFL teachers and 200 tertiary level students from Bangladeshi private universities were chosen as the subjects of this study to identify their perspectives on this issue. The findings of the study suggest the need for constructive changes in the choice and use of teaching-learning materials and teaching methods in EFL classrooms.
Culture, while learning a language, plays a vital role. Culture of the target language is given m... more Culture, while learning a language, plays a vital role. Culture of the target language is given much importance in learning. However, the native culture interference is also not neglected. This study speculates whether native cultural aspects, like students' religious beliefs, students' geographical background, student teacher relationship, teaching system and class size affect learning English as a foreign language in Bangladesh. Through a survey on 200 students from two private universities and an intense one on one interview of 9 teachers of one university, data is collected for this mixed method study of qualitative and quantitative research . The results are discussed in light of Sapir Whorfian theory, which has never been tested in the context of Bangladesh and Interculturality is used as a theoretical basis to emphasize on the solutions. Recommendations are made for the teachers so that they would find out possible solutions and help students to overcome the barriers caused due to cultural differences. According to the students, the most affective factor that creates a barrier in learning English is teacher-student relationship with teaching system being the second and students' geographical background being the third affective factor. Teacher interviews solidify these findings. Along with these barriers teachers opine that students' religious belief, and class size also play major roles as cultural barriers in learning English as a foreign language with most of the students being unaware of these issues. Well trained Teachers as instructors and culture bridging materials could minimize cultural barriers in learning English as a foreign language in Bangladesh. More exposure to the target culture as well as raising awareness of the issues related to cultural barriers help learners enhance the knowledge of the world and enable co-ordinate with the linguistic as well as cultural factors of learning a foreign language.