In today’s tech-driven globe, the role of communication and speech production has witnessed an upsurge. Teaching the language as a means of communication has become the norm in English as a foreign language (EFL) settings.  The major problem underlying this endeavour lies with first-year students’ inability to maintain spontaneous talk either in the classroom or in any context. This research aims at investigating some language obstacles that EFL students face and could be a serious handicap to the improvement of their speaking skills. The data was gathered through two questionnaires administered to both first-year EFL students and the teachers covering oral expression and comprehension courses. The findings revealed that learners experienced various barriers that hinder their performance and interaction, such as self-confidence, anxiety, lack of appropriate vocabulary, and obsessive fear of making mistakes and imperfections. Based on the results, some helpful recommendations were suggested to enhance the students’ speaking proficiency. 

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has gained considerable attention worldwide as an innovative pedagogical approach that integrates content knowledge with language learning. This study explores the potential benefits and challenges associated with the implementation of CLIL in the Algerian Higher Education Institutions. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of relevant literature and employing a qualitative research design, including a systematic review and synthesis of scholarly articles, books, reports, and other relevant sources, this research identifies the key barriers hindering the successful adoption of CLIL in the Algerian context. Furthermore, this research proposes a set of strategies as a roadmap to overcome these challenges and pave the way for effective CLIL implementation. Breaking down these barriers and fostering a more dynamic learning environment, Algerian Higher Education Institutions can better prepare students for the demands of a globalized world. This research provides valuable insights and practical recommendations to policymakers, educators, and researchers interested in promoting language education reform in higher education. By bridging the gap between research and practice, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse on CLIL implementation and its implications for educational reform, focusing on the need for further research.

There are various challenges facing the use of English as the language of instruction policy in Tanzania secondary schools. These include low levels of English among teachers, a lack of qualified teachers, and a lack of guidelines about how to teach in English. The challenges negatively affect the learning of content subjects as well as the learning of the English language itself. This article examines English as the language of instruction policy in secondary schools by reviewing theoretical bases for adopting an additional language as a language of instruction and education approaches in which subject contents are taught using English as the medium of instruction. The paper discusses the weaknesses of the current practice and recommends refocusing English as the language of instruction policy by highlighting its implicit goal of improving language skills through the integrated content and language learning approach.

Code-switching (CS) between the mother tongue (L1) and the foreign language (FL) is an embedded practice in the Algerian multilingual society, as it is highly noticed in pedagogical settings like school and university. Yet, switching between two foreign languages seems to gain popularity, mainly, in the English for medical purposes (EMP) course. In the latter, EMP teachers tend to switch between English and French to serve certain pedagogical and non-pedagogical aims. Furthermore, this practice is used as a time-saving strategy and as an instructional tool to enhance students’ skills like; listening and vocabulary comprehension. In an attempt to flesh out an explanatory framework, this study explores the attitudes of students towards their teachers’ use of CS, in addition to their perspective about the reasons behind teachers’ switching between two foreign languages in a medical course. Furthermore, this research reveals the different perceptions of learners about the implementation of English/French CS to enhance their vocabulary comprehension and to promote their medical terminology. To this end, 162 second year pharmacy students, from the faculty of medicine at the university of Sétif 1, formed the participants of the enquiry. Based on a triangulation (quantitative and qualitative) research design, a questionnaire and a focus group discussion (FGD) were used to collect the related data. The findings revealed that teachers switch from English to French to perform different pedagogical functions such as explaining new concepts and difficult expressions, reinforcing and emphasizing a message or an information. Through CS, instructors may create a friendly and a dynamic learning atmosphere by using it as a stopgap to students’ loss of communication and hence to support the learning and teaching process. Moreover, CS is used to boost the learning of medical terminology and to facilitate the comprehension of medical context especially the new and complex vocabulary for learners. Overall CS is regarded as an effective pedagogical strategy, and is recommended in the EMP course, yet it should be used with moderation and in situations where necessary.

Several changes have characterized the teaching/learning environment in the last decade. The growing importance of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has offered new avenues for teachers and students to deal with content and to ensure practical and effective means of interaction. In addition, the sudden and unexpected events that are taking place all over the globe are urging educationists and stakeholders to seriously think of alternative ways to traditional face to face instruction. The pandemic crisis of COVID 19, the unstable political, economic and social situation in many parts of the world have fostered the idea of migrating to digital (online) learning which guarantees safer and more secured interaction among teachers and students. This paper sheds light on the changing roles and expanded responsibilities of Algerian EFL teachers and students in the 21st Century digital era. Tools of data collection include two different online questionnaires designed for teacher educators and students at the Ecole Normale Supérieure ‘Assia Djebar’, Constantine, Algeria. Results concluded that the experience with e-learning was challenging but worth endeavouring. Moreover, the subjects have shown a certain degree of awareness about the importance of digital instruction in developing students’ autonomous and collaborative learning. On this basis, the study has come up with some suggestions from instructors and learners to make digital learning easier and more effective experience in the future.

The shift to online teaching has highlighted the important use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by faculty members. The objectives of this paper are to identify the current use of the technological tools to teach the writing skill in an online mode and to describe teachers’ perspectives on the potential effect of using the different kinds of ICTs in the process of online teaching and learning of writing. This study employed a descriptive research approach using qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. A purposive sample of Six (6) Written Expression teachers from the department of Letters and the English Language at Frères Mentouri University participated in this study. Data was collected through a focus group interview, enabling in-depth discussions and insights into teachers’ experiences and perceptions. The analysis revealed that teachers believe that technological tools such as Google Apps (Google Classroom, Google Meet, and Facebook) offer greater engagement and collaboration in the writing process, as well as encourage teacher and peer feedback on students’ writings. However, teachers expressed only moderate satisfaction with ICT accessibility and use due to certain challenges and the necessity to possess both technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge for effective teaching of writing. The present study extends the existing knowledge on online language teaching, particularly in the context of the writing skill. It highlights the technological requirements and pedagogical strategies employed by EFL teachers to optimise the use of ICTs and ensure effective online teaching of the writing skill. The findings of this study have implications for educational stakeholders, emphasising the importance of integrating ICTs into writing instruction in online environments.

Given the gap noted in the Algerian official syllabus of the translation unit, and though both teachers and students are aware of the importance of translation errors, no lecture is dedicated to this concept. Hence, the present investigation attempts to testify the efficiency of collaborative work in teaching translation errors to M.A. students and thereby apply the theoretical background in real situations. It aims to train students to detect and correct errors, improve the final product, and minimise the different types of errors. The paper adopts a qualitative quantitative-mixed method to scrutinise the phenomenon under investigation. Whereas the theoretical part draws on Delisle's (1999) model of translation errors, the practical part relies on data collected via questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis. The paper's data were obtained from M.A. students' documents at Mascara University (Algeria) to examine the efficiency of collaborative work as a method of teaching translation errors. The study finds out that the error rate was reduced by 24% after adopting collaborative work, including the three types of texts (general, medical, and literary). The study also concludes that collaborative work enhances three central competencies competitiveness, autonomy, and motivation; hence, they acquire certain translation maturity and critical thinking.

This study examines the assessment strategies and practices at Oran 2 University, Algeria. It attempts to explore the impact of assessment procedures on learners’ motivation and academic achievements.  This research adopted a mixed-methods case study design wherein both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis procedures were used to explore tertiary teachers’ assessment strategies while assessing their learners’ competencies. A random sample of 30 tertiary teachers formed the target population during the first semester of the academic year 2022. Findings reveal that some teachers continue to rely on a limited set of assessment tools as the sole means of evaluation to meet the diverse needs of their learners. However, the study also highlights that teachers also showed a good understanding of the necessary knowledge and training required before implementing assessment tools to provide students with the necessary feedback. The results also indicate an essential need for in-service training, pedagogical support, and professional development to meet the challenges identified by teachers in adapting and maintaining effective assessment practices at all levels of tertiary education.

Displacement is a key concept in postcolonial Diaspora literature that interprets the transition from the motherland, native culture, traditions, and native language to a different setting. Such geographical, cultural and psychological transitions result in an identity crisis, fragmentation and discontinuity.  The objective of this study is to investigate, in Fadia Faqir's The Cry of the Dove, the process of identity development amid displacement of a female Arab Muslim in a postcolonial setting. Using Stuart Hall's theory of Cultural Identity and Diaspora, this article applies a postmodern reading on the novel to discern how displacement affects the identity of the main protagonist Salma. Hence, Salma experiences a series of encounters following her transition from her original space to a new one that results in an identity crisis characterised by fragmentation, sense of alienation and uncertainty. In a postmodernist Stuart Hallian sense, Fadia Faqir’s female protagonist suffers from an existentialist, discontinuous identity characterized by skepticism, uncertainty, fragmentation and paradox, following a journey of physical and psychological displacement.

Language teachers are usually proficient in teaching language skills but may not always receive training in fostering critical thinking abilities that guide effective learning. Existing literature underscores the pivotal role of teacher behaviours in shaping students’ critical thinking development. However, educators can effectively incorporate critical thinking into their instructional methods only when they possess a clear conception of what critical thinking entails. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of critical thinking among Algerian university teachers and the strategies they employ to integrate critical thinking into their courses. A qualitative research approach was employed, involving structured interviews with Algerian English lecturers from various higher education institutions, including educators from the Higher Training Teacher’s College of Oran, the University of Mostaganem Abdelhamid Ibn Badis, and the University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed. A total of fifteen teachers participated in the interviews. The findings indicate that while a majority of teachers exhibit sound knowledge of critical thinking, they often lack the necessary support for its effective implementation, leading them to primarily focus on subject matter comprehension. Moreover, these educators encounter various challenges in teaching critical thinking and express the need for additional support in this aspect. Consequently, the study underscores the demand for tailored professional development programs aimed at integrating critical thinking into the English language curriculum, materials development, and pedagogical practices.