Obstacles to Effective Teaching Learning of English In Government Girls’ High Schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Parveen Khan*

Abstract

It was descriptive study that explored the obstacles faced by English teachers and students in the Government Girls’ High Schools in Peshawar, province of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The tool for the study was a closed-ended questionnaire which was administered to senior teachers and students in order to get a clear picture of the challenges faced by them. The quantitative and qualitative treatment was given to the data. The data were converted into percentages which were further supported by graphic presentation. The outcome of the study indicated that overcrowded classrooms, heavy workload, out-dated curriculum, lack of financial resources,  allocation of insufficient time and inadequate arrangements for   any workshops for learning new techniques by teachers were major hurdles  in teaching English. In order to solve these problems, some implementable measures were made which suggested that competent and well- qualified teachers should be recruited for teaching English, exposure should be provided for students in learning English, use of A.V. Aids should be made compulsory for teachers during teaching,  new text books, mainly based on drill exercises should be introduced, spoken English should be made compulsory  and district level education officers should visit the schools and check that proper teaching techniques were used by English teachers for teaching English.

Keywords: Obstacles, English teachers, students, high schools, problems and implementable suggestions.

 Introduction

There has been development of new means of communication among countries with the advancement of educational technology. The world has now turned into a “global village” where people communicate and connected with each other through a common language. English is the only language which is widely used in most parts of the world and provides a base for modern knowledge in all fields of human life.
The role of English language remained a controversial for many years in Pakistan. English is being taught as a secondary compulsory language in Pakistan. The major source of learning English in our country is the schools and formal classrooms where teachers focus their attention simply on English spellings, drills, syntax, morphology, and some formal grammar rules, cramming and vocabulary.
Today, in Pakistan we need to learn English mainly from the ‘utilitarian’ point of view rather than ‘cultural purposes’. But recent trends in the study of English in Pakistani schools are the challenges and problems faced by teachers and students. These problems and challenges warranted a systematic study to identify them for remedial solutions.

Objectives of the Study

• To identify the problems faced by English teachers and students at higher secondary level.
• To know the academic and professional qualification of English teachers for teaching English.
• To make recommendations for improving the teaching of English and how to teach effectively, productively, and proficiently.

 Significance of the Study

The study would be significant not only for the teachers and students, but also for the curriculum planners and school administrators. It would not only prove useful and helpful for concerned, but also motivate them to take corrective measures for the solution of the problems faced by English teachers and students. It would also provide guidelines for the teachers and students in the teaching learning process.

Review Literature

English is the dominant international language of the 21st century.  There is a huge demand of English language in the world. It is accustomed by a quarter of the world’s population. As a result, English has assumed the role of international language instead of a language of a particular nation.  It is spoken by billion of people around the world. By 2020, it is forecasted that two billion people will be using it or learning to use it.
It is a fact that English is taught as compulsory subject in Pakistani schools and colleges, but students are still not able to communicate in English with confidence and success.  This is also true about the secondary schools students in Pakistan. It is therefore, high time that we should treat English as a secondary language and take corrective measures to facilitate teachers and learners in both rural and urban areas to acquire proficiency in English. Education department should design its courses with specific objectives and especially pay attention to useful books that link theory to application and last, but not the least, a proper feedback mechanism for teachers.
The standard of teaching English in Pakistan has deteriorated.  Teaching of English in Pakistan is not up to the mark. The functional aspect is totally ignored in the schools and emphasis is only on learning grammatical rules through rote memorization and thus resulting in further decline.
The condition of learning English at secondary level is worse and there is a need to address the consequential problems seriously. Learning English language is a priority in the subconscious of people, but they are precluded to devise remedial measures for fulfilling their urge. The students got few occasions to learn English. Its not that the learner lacks the capacity, but the whole educational setup needs to be reshuffled and built up from the beginning.
The teachers were not sufficiently qualified and trained and there was no specific criterion for the selection of English teachers, but preference was given to those having master degree in English. The teachers used traditional grammar, translational methods for teaching English and there were no incentives for their good performance.
English is a major window through which we acquire the distilled essence of modern knowledge in all fields of human activity. It is through this language that we can come to know the day to day progress being made in the scientific, technological, agricultural, cultural and especially in literary fields. In order to teach English in schools, we need to change the existing conditions. If the conditions remain the same, the standard of English will further deteriorate and teaching of English will be merely a waste of time and energy.
In spite of making all the efforts, the desirable results have not been still achieved. The major factors are out-dated English courses, teaching programs, proper training to teachers, and availability of local materials so as to meet the students’ needs and expectations.  
Input by the government, to improve the teaching of English, is not up to the mark but are also abysmally poor. The main cause of failure in English subject is a poor examination system, flawed pedagogy, and outdated teaching material and curriculum.
 Many causes were identified for showing poor results in English which included no proper teacher training program, non-availability of facilities to teachers and students, out- dated curriculum, no particular attention to reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Though majority of the schools have their libraries, but none of them have the provision of English newspapers, computers, and audio-visual aids.
Realizing the need and the importance of English, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in collaboration with the British Council and Society of English Language Teaching (SPELT) provided professional assistance to teachers at each level across the province. But no improvement was observed in English teaching and learning and we still need to do a lot in order to achieve the desired results.

Methodology

It was a descriptive. The population included 200 senior English teachers and 200 students of 20 government girl’s high schools in Peshawar district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The sample was randomly selected from all the high schools which was 80 (40%) senior teachers and 80(40%) students. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered both to teachers and students. The primary data were collected from teachers and students while secondary data were obtained from office record, documents, and review of literature.   
The study used closed-ended questionnaire for teachers and a separate questionnaire for students containing 20 items each. There was no problem in developing rapport with the participants. All the respondents willingly supported the study. The researchers personally distributed and collected questionnaires.

Data Analysis and Discussion

Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used in research. The quantitative data were converted into percentages and further illustrated with the help of graphs. Analysis of data collected from teachers is as follows:

Table No.1 Responses of English Teachers (80)

The analysis of data in Table No.1 indicated that 80 (100%) respondents agreed that classrooms were overcrowded. Another, 10 (12.5%) respondents were of the opinion that they asked questions to review the previous knowledge of students and they prepared their lessons in advance. A negligible number of 05 (6%) respondents opined that they used English in class with students during teaching where as 03 (3.7%) respondents stated that they did not attend any professional training in teaching English. However, all the 80 (100%) respondents agreed that they did translate into their mother tongue, they were not satisfied with students’ performance and they faced heavy work load in schools. All the 80(100%) respondents agreed that they had no access to new technologies because of lack of resources. Only 05(6%) respondents opined that they attended workshop/refresher courses for updating their pedagogical skills. 80 (100%) respondents agreed that no guide books were available in schools from which they could seek guidance. A negligible number of 10(12.5%) respondents were of opinion that they were satisfied with present curriculum. 40(50%) respondents opined that they had question answer session at the end of each lesson. Only 10(12.5%) respondents agreed that they conducted classroom inspections on a daily basis. Another, 60 (75%) respondents were of the opinion that parents gave priority to English language. The graphic presentation of data in Figure-1 further highlighted the responses. Analysis of response of students is given in Table-2.

Table No.2: Responses of Students (80)

           
The analysis of data in Table No.2 indicated that 40(50%) respondents agreed that teachers stated objectives of the lesson to students. Another, 80 (100%) respondents were not of the opinion that teachers neither discussed the importance of lesson nor did they give examples to teach main points. However, 80(100%) respondents opined that teachers did not give information gradually and had no English conversation class. A negligible number of 20 (25%) respondents opined that teachers had command on English subject and used correct pronunciation whereas 10 (12.5%) respondents stated that teachers utilized and managed class time properly. 80(100%) respondents were of the opinion that  teachers never used group techniques in class nor did they give importance on improving reading and writing skills. However, 20 (25%) respondents agreed that they were satisfied with their teachers performance, encouraged students on their good performance and paid attention on concepts rather than rote memorization 10(12.5%) respondents agreed that classroom environment remained favorable for learning English and teachers were not always stick to the course content. 80(100%) respondents opined that the teachers neither used A.V. Aids during teaching nor did they used English in class. Only 10(12.5%) teachers had correct pronunciation. The graphic presentation of data in Figure-2 further highlighted the responses.

 Conclusions

• Majority of the teachers did not have sound knowledge of the English language.
• English teachers faced heavy load work at their respective schools and teaching is adversely affected.
• Modern methods were not used for teaching of English. Teachers used translation method or did explan in their mother tongue.
• Incorrect pronunciation, no command on the subject and no fluency in spoken English were major obstacles for all respondents.
• It was found that students remained passive listeners and were not involved in various learning activities during teaching.
• Overcrowded classrooms are considered one of the major problems for teachers. They couldn’t spare a single minute to provide extra guidance to weak students.
• It has been observed that all the teachers and students were of the opinion that A.V. Aids were never used during teaching because of lack of resources.
• Majority of the students were facing problems due to incorrect pronunciation; incompetency of teachers in English subject; no clarity in teachers voice and teachers did not follow the principle of easy to complex.
• It was also found that the English teachers had not attended adequate refresher courses/ workshop in order to improve their pedagogical   skills for teaching English and thus they were not able to teach according to the needs of students.
• Most of the teachers and students were not satisfied with the present curriculum of English which was only based on bookish knowledge and was not practical to meet the needs of the students.
• Most of English teachers used lecture method where students remained only passive listeners and did not assign homework to their students on daily basis.
• Teachers neither used additional books for teaching English apart from text books.
• It has also been observed that teachers neither utilized nor managed their time. They came to class late and left early.
•  Emphasis of majority of teachers were to complete course content in due time and never go beyond it. They neither break lengthy lessons in small segments nor motivated students through questions, jokes and story telling.

 Recommendations

Based on the analysis of data and conclusions drawn from them, the following recommendations were made for remedial solutions of the problem.

• It is recommended that teaching of English is a tough task, so well qualified and competent English teachers must be recruited having full command on English subject.
• The number of English teachers should be increased to relieve teachers heavy work load.  So that they could pay attention to individual student.
• Refresher courses and pre-service training for teachers should be made compulsory.
• Ample opportunities should be provided to the students so that they can speak English and learn it, not only to pass examination but use it as a medium of communication as well.
• The teacher should not pay attention on learning the rules of grammar alone but it should be considered as one of the tool for learning the language.
• The English teachers have to keep themselves abreast with the current trends in English with a view to prepare and produce delightful and attractive material for the pupils.
• The atmosphere for learning English should be conducive and permissive and examination as well as evaluation system should be changed.
• Teachers should use A.V. Aids during teaching in order to make lesson more interesting and attractive.
• Such type of text books should be introduced in which 85% of the portion should be based on constant revision, repetition of basic rules of grammar and vocabulary.
• District Education Officers and Directors of education should inspect schools, approach the English teachers with constructive criticism and check that proper teaching techniques are employed by the teachers.
• It is the responsibility of government, teachers, parents, and heads of institutions to make it compulsory for the teachers and students to speak English during teaching hours.

Bibliography

Published Books
Mueen, A., [1992]: English Language Teaching in Pakistan. National Book Foundation, Islamabad.
Tahir, M.S., [1991]: Modern Approaches to Teaching of  English as a Second Language.  Lahore, Majeed Book Depot. 

Newspaper\Journals\Weekly Magazines\Pamphlets\Circulars
Abbas, S., [1998]: Sociopolitical Dimensions in Language: English in Context in Pakistan. In Journal of Applied Language Studies, 23(42).
Ahmad, N., Ahmad, M. A. Bukhari & T.A. Bukhari ,[2011]: The Nature of Difficulties in Learning English by the Students at Secondary School Level in Pakistan. Journal of Education and Practice,10(2).
Ahmad, N., Khan. N; Munir, N., [2013]: Factors Affecting the Learning of English at Secondary School Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In International Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 2(2).
Teevno, R.A., [2011]: Challenges in Teaching and Learning of English at Secondary Level Class X. In International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 2(31).
Sabiha, S., [2003]: Language Planning in Higher Education: Issues of Access and Equity. In The Lahore Journal of Economics,.8(2).
Warsi. J., [2007]: Conditions Under Which English is Taught in Pakistan: An Applied Linguistic Perspective. Harvard University, Cambridge. Website: http://www.saridjournal/.org/2004/warsi.htm.

Organizational Document
British Council. [2013]: The English Effect: The Impact of English, What Its Worth to the UK and Why it Matters to the World. UK.