Abstract
English is a medium of instruction in higher learning institutions in Tanzania. Some institutions put in place some strategies to help students improve their English. This paper is a result of the study conducted at Archbishop Mihayo University College of Tabora. The objectives of the study were to assess the impact of the Basic English course on the students’ English, to scrutinise the course contents and to analyse the teaching methods and techniques to see if they help students to outshine in the English language. The study employed questionnaire, interview, focus group discussions and documentary review as instruments of data collection. The findings indicate that Basic English course has not helped students to improve their English for academic and professional communication and the course content is beyond what ought to be included in a basic course. It was further established that due to large classes, Basic English course is taught through lecture method, which does not give the students an opportunity to interact. The paper recommends that a serious review for Basic English course be done and be taught by qualified staff with appropriate teaching and learning materials in manageable groups to allow meaningful interaction and language usage.
Highlights
St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), of which Archbishop Mihayo University College of Tabora ( AMUCTA) is a constituent college, is one of the higher learning institutions in Tanzania
The findings indicate that Basic English course has not helped students to improve their English for academic and professional communication and the course content is beyond what ought to be included in a basic course
Those who thought that Basic English course did not help them to improve their English for academic purposes gave the following reasons: They further claimed that there were too many courses to take per semester (10 to 11 courses per semester), they had to focus on other courses because they had a feeling that what was covered in Basic English was presumed to have been covered in the lower levels of education
Summary
St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), of which Archbishop Mihayo University College of Tabora ( AMUCTA) is a constituent college, is one of the higher learning institutions in Tanzania As it is the case in many other universities, students at AMUCTA face challenges in using English as a medium of instruction (Telli, 2014; Brock-Utne, 2010; Qorro, 2008; Brock-Utne, 2005). 122) indicates in his study, “...English language seems to torture students’ mind and they do not enjoy the language but they are forced to use it in a slavery way” This is the case for AMUCTA students when it comes to English as medium of instruction. It further intended to analyse the teaching methods and techniques used by lecturers to see if they give the students adequate opportunity for them to outshine in the English language
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call