English Language Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms: A Study of L2 Teachers’ Strategies to Manage Many Languages

Abstract

The teaching plus learning practices have become a challenge for ESL teachers and learners significantly at the undergraduate level in Pakistan.  This difficulty occurs to teachers when they have to deal with ESL learners from such diverse backgrounds. In Pakistan, the English languages is majorly taught as second language at college and university levels in public and private sectors. At general level, English language is in practical pedagogy as a compulsory subject from schools to colleges and universities. The English language today is used as the world’s language some also call it as ‘’Universal language’’ because of its wide usage across the world, that contributes into the usage and learning of the language in all the domains and areas of study (Yunus, 2013).  This research study attempted to investigate the strategies ESL teachers use in multilingual English language classrooms at undergraduate level in universities to deal with learners and cope up with such linguistic diversity in classrooms.  The qualitative research paradigm was employed with structured online interviews of the undergraduate teachers of University of Sindh, Mehran University of Engineering and technology, Jamshoro, and Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, science and technology, Nawabshah, Sindh, Pakistan respectively. The study proposed that there are diversified learners in multilingual ESL classrooms at undergraduate level in universities having different backgrounds. The teachers use multiple strategies to cater multilingual learners in ESL classrooms and these situations have both positive and negative effects on learners’ performances.

Keywords: English language teaching, English as Second language (ESL), learner’s experiences, learner’s difficulties, language learners, teacher’s strategies, pedagogy.

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/64-02

Publication date: January 31^st 2020