The Struggles of Attending Introductory English Courses in Bangladeshi Universities

Abstract

Considering the recent economic milestone achieved by Bangladesh, a downright reformation has emerged as obligatory which is a sustainable and all-round delivery of English throughout the academic journey of all the learners. Still, students are found struggling with the elementary language skills while attending introductory English courses at the universities. This study, conducted in mixed-mode, recounts the findings based on the data collected from twenty-one universities. Through this investigative work, the researchers have tried to diagnose the reasons behind the struggles faced by the learners and attempt to explain such outcomes from the perspectives of the gaps between policy and practice, attitude towards English, and the state of ELT in Bangladesh. Findings suggest that the issue of maintaining the synergy between separate levels of education is ignored by the stakeholders as well as the policy makers since the policy itself fails to uphold the significance of English as an international language. In addition, faulty application of CLT in the learners’ secondary levels create a fearful image of English in their minds hindering them from conceptualising English as an international language as well as a tool for their future academic success.