DETERMINING THE ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS OF INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN PUNJAB TOWARDS THE TEACHING ENGLISH AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Abstract

Within the scope of this research, English Language Teaching (ELT) in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was explored from the point of view of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The research investigated both the teachers' and the students' perspectives on English language teaching and learning, as well as the nature of gender-based ELT and the interaction between teachers and students regarding it, as well as the challenges that both teachers and students faced during the EFL teaching-learning process at four-year BS English programs offered by public and private universities in Pakistan. In order to gather the replies from the ELT professionals who were chosen using the convenient sample method, a structured interview proforma was developed. In the meanwhile, a qualitative analysis of the replies from the interview was carried out. According to the findings, EFL students who were studying English as a foreign language thought the Grammar Translation Method was the most effective way to learn English, while EFL instructors thought the Activity-based Interactive Method was the most effective way to teach English as a foreign language. In contrast to the professors, who valued communicative ability as the most essential consequence of the English language pedagogic process, the students placed a higher priority on acquiring correct pronunciation as well as the application of grammatical rules. The students thought that the male English as foreign language instructors were more efficient at teaching than the female English as a foreign language instructor because the male instructors were theoretically clearer and better at transmitting information. The results of the male and female learners showed a significant difference between the male and female teachers towards teacher-learner interaction xix, whereas the results of the male and female teachers did not show any significant difference between their genders in regards to teacher-learner interaction in EFL classroom settings. It has been suggested, on the basis of the results of the research, that policy changes in English language curriculum, pedagogical methods, and assessment procedures should be established in Pakistan in order to synchronize the attitudes about ELT and gender-based teacher-learner interaction there.