IISES International Academic Conference, London

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES AS A LANGUAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS BETWEEN PROSPECTS AND REALITY: THE CASE OF AIN TEMOUCHENT UNIVERSITY

HASSIBA KORICHE

Abstract:

The English language has shifted from being the language used to serve native speakers to an international medium of lingua franca. It has reached territories beyond the UK and US borders. English for Specific Purposes has attracted increasing interest and awareness with enormous and unprecedented expansion in Economics, Social activities, research, and Science and Technology on an international scale. The French language is a colonial heritage and has been used as a language of instruction for Business, Economy, Administration, and Education. However, Algeria is paving the way for a language use shift. The Ministry of Higher Education has adopted new directives to generalize English language use for Academic Purposes. In this spirit, this study sheds light on the procedures adopted to make a smooth linguistic shift and prepare for a new era where English for Academic Purposes is a target to be reached and reveals the extent to which the Algerian universities are ready for this innovation. A mixed method approach was adopted; therefore, a semi-structured interview was performed with the concerned teachers. A questionnaire was submitted to students from different faculties, mainly the faculty of Science and Technology and the Faculty of Economics, Commerce and Management Sciences at Ain Temouchent University. The results revealed that teachers welcome the new directives and are willing to improve their level of English to satisfy their Academic’s needs. However, students are preoccupied and wonder about the extent to which the Ministry's decision could be applied regarding the students' dissimilar levels in the English language.

Keywords: English for Academic Purposes – Linguistic shift – Innovation – Teachers’ Instructions – Students – Faculties