Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5421
Title: Learning English as a foreign language in a non-native country and speaking in the UK: Lived experience of Nepalese students
Authors: Shrestha, Rup Kumar
Advisors: Jones, D
Evans, R
Issue Date: 2007
Publisher: Brunel University School of Sport and Education PhD Theses
Abstract: English language has been applied as a general subject at the tertiary level education in all the faculties of Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal and treated as a second language (ESL) or a foreign language (EFL). It is also regarded as an international language. The latest change in the curriculum took place in 1997 and since then no research has been done on the effectiveness of the curriculum yet. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the EFL curriculum effectiveness and help to improve it. The idea of this research emerged from my professional experience of teaching English in the TU, where on average 70% of the tertiary level students failed the English language examination every year. The main objective of teaching English is to 'enable the students to understand the native speakers and make understood himself (National Convention 1988). Therefore, this research develops with the following two phenomenological curiosities: 'What is the experience of the successful students like while speaking with native speakers of English? ' and 'How can Nepalese students acquire competence in oral English more effectively? ' As a phenomenological research, unstructured interview method has been applied to collect the lived experience of the focus group of Nepalese students who have been staying in the United Kingdom for less than three months after the completion of the tertiary education in the Tribhuvan University, Nepal. The research justifies the following four different hypotheses:' The tertiary level EFL curriculum in Tribhuvan University has not been successful to achieve the goal of teaching English in a communicative context and for communicative purpose'; 'There is no consistency in the tertiary level EFL curriculum'; 'Acculturation in the English society plays a significant role in acquisition of oral English in Nepalese people'; and 'The Monitor Model hypothesis can be used to monitor the 'acquired knowledge' by 'learned knowledge' to correct grammar and similarly, the 'learned knowledge' can be monitored by 'acquired knowledge' to correct pronunciation for a successful oral communication. It is found out that the acculturation is better process than teaching by non-native teachers in a non-native country for acquisition of oral competence in English. Therefore, the research highly recommends the university to provide English like environment in the classes of English language so that students may experience a kind of acculturation as in an English society. It can be materialized by employing as many native speaking teachers as possible and providing a good library with necessary language teaching materials, like audio-video equipments. The classes should be of ideal size so that teachers can give care to the individual students' progress. The non-native teachers of English should be provided proper training to pronounce English words correctly and to teach using provided teaching materials. The examination should be conducted at least twice a year and should include oral assessments. However, it is realized that though the study has justified the research hypotheses and recommended a new perception for effective EFL curriculum, there are still more scopes for further research in this area, which are discussed at the end of the thesis.
Description: This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Education and awarded by Brunel University.
URI: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5421
Appears in Collections:Education
Dept of Education Theses

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