Myanmar Secondary School EFL Teachers’ Perceptions on the Use of English as a Medium of Instruction in Their EFL Teaching

Thawdar Lwin ,Aaron Michael Craig Richards

doi:10.7176/jep/10-6-17

Abstract

This qualitative study was to examine the Myanmar secondary school English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions on the use of English as a medium of instruction in their EFL teaching. A semi-structured interview was conducted with six secondary school EFL teachers (five female and one male). The findings and the results from the interviews showed that the language policy of using English as a medium of instruction in teaching English at the upper secondary level was not implemented by Myanmar EFL teachers. The availability of teaching materials such as textbooks and teaching aids, the teachers’ inadequate knowledge for using English as a medium of instruction in class, students’ poor language proficiency level and the assessment system were explored as the major factors for not being able to foster English as a medium of instruction in class. Keywords: English as a medium of instruction, EFL teachers’ perception DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-6-17

Highlights

Background of the studyEnglish as a medium of instruction (EMI) refers to the use of English language in teaching a subject, especially in the places where English is not the native, local or national language (Madhavan & McDonald, 2014)
This study aimed to explore Myanmar English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions on the use of English in their EFL teaching by answering the following research questions: 1. How do Myanmar EFL teachers perceive the policy of using EMI in teaching English at the upper secondary level?
The first theme of this study was the teaching and learning materials designed for upholding the language policy, in other words, encouraging the use of EMI in class

Summary

Introduction

Background of the studyEnglish as a medium of instruction (EMI) refers to the use of English language in teaching a subject, especially in the places where English is not the native, local or national language (Madhavan & McDonald, 2014). Less influence of the first language resulted in more proficiency of the learners’ second language. He proposed that this can be solved or reduced by the natural input of the target language. In a cross cultural study of Ransdell (2003), the researcher highlighted the three main reasons that caused Korean, Chinese, and Indian students’ difficulty in learning English phonology. He described that the alphabetical shapes and the structures of students’ mother tongue or the first language would cause interference while they are learning a second language. A researcher who conducted a longitudinal action research study in one Hong Kong institute, concluded that students preferred the policy of using EMI and it helped to improve students’ English proficiency (Wong, 2009)

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