An investigation into a communicative approach to English language teaching in governmental and nongovernmental primary schools in Bangladesh

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Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Humanities
Department Linguistics
Author McKay, Todd Haviland
Title An investigation into a communicative approach to English language teaching in governmental and nongovernmental primary schools in Bangladesh
Date 2011-12
Description In recent years, the government of Bangladesh has worked to implement a language policy to foster a communicative approach to English language teaching (ELT) beginning at the primary level in the Bangladeshi educational system. Since such a top-down decision was made, no studies have been conducted to substantiate the presence of a communicative approach in Bangladeshi English classrooms. The aims of this study are thus (1) to probe to what extent in-class English teaching and learning practices reflect a communicative approach to ELT; more specifically, this thesis motivates "indicators" used in the documentation of "present realities" in governmental and BRAC primary school English classrooms, (2) to assess the communicative ability of Bangladeshi students enrolled in these schools, and (3) to examine the relationship between the aforementioned indicators and students? communicative ability. Results suggest that a communicative approach is not strongly reflected in ELT in governmental and BRAC English classes; that Bangladeshi ELLs enrolled in governmental institutions are better communicators than those enrolled in BRAC ones; and that there appears to be a positive relationship between the presence of communicative approach indicators and students? communicative ability. This study also highlights certain instances of intersection between Western research methods and Bangladeshi (i.e., non-Western) culture-or, more appropriately, problems arising during research due to an outsider epistemic location.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Bangladesh; BRAC; Communicative ability; Communicative approach; Communicative approach indicators; Nongovernmental
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Arts
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Todd Haviland McKay 2011
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 560,884 bytes
Identifier us-etd3,63666
Source original in Marriott Library Special Collections; PE27.5 2011 .M44
ARK ark:/87278/s6vh63kk
Setname ir_etd
ID 194396
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6vh63kk