Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Haidar, Sham

Titel

Passport to Privilege: Access to English in Different School Systems in Pakistan

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

2016

Link zum Volltext

• ProQuest

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The purpose of this dissertation study is to explore access to English in different school systems in Pakistan. English is one of the official languages in Pakistan and the most prestigious language in the language hierarchy. It is also the language of higher education and a prerequisite for most professional jobs. However, access to English may not be the same for people of different socioeconomic statuses, because there are different schools for the elites to which ordinary people have no access. The differential access to English leads to social stratification because of the crucial role English plays in social mobility. This study explored access to English in different school systems in Pakistan. The symbolic power of language and theories about the globalization of English including linguistic imperialism, world Englishes, and especially the sociolinguistics of English, are used as the theoretical framework for the study. The symbolic power of language helps to understand the importance of English from the participants’ perspectives and the role of education in perpetuating the existing class structure by limiting access to English. Linguistic imperialism, world Englishes, and sociolinguistics of English help in understanding the perceptions of the participants about the spread of English in the postcolonial world, especially in Pakistan, and access to the varieties of English in different schools along with their value in social mobility. The convergent concepts of field, habitus, scale, orders of indexicality, and polycentricty of norms from these theories were useful in interpreting the data from the study. This study employed a qualitative strategy and phenomenological case study, in order to understand how participants understood the role of, and access to, English in different schools. Data were collected through observation in the tenth grade classes in four different types of schools, and through interviews of the administrators, teachers, and students. Available documents for and about English instruction in these schools were also reviewed. The data were coded and analyzed using grounded theory. The study found that people in Pakistan consider English necessary for survival in academic, professional, and social life. English is considered a pre-requisite for economic and social mobility. Access to English in Pakistan is on a continuum for students in different schools. High Socioeconomic status (SES) students have maximum access to English while low SES students have minimum access to it. Hence, English is a valuable source of confidence and development for high SES students, but a main source of frustration and failure for low SES students. The education system thus perpetuates the existing class structure by providing limited access to English for ordinary people and minimizes their opportunities to participate in the development of the country. Findings from the study are useful for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to improve the existing instruction practices and add to the ongoing debate about the spread of English in the world and its effects in the developing countries, such as Pakistan.