Browsing by Author "Islam, M. Jahurul"

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Adrienne Rich’s Poetry: Thematic and Theoretical Alignments
(University of Rajshahi, 2019) Arif, G. M. Javed; Islam, M. Jahurul
Writing at the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century, Adrienne Rich in her last four poetry books shows that she is still committed to exploring the multidimensional changes in politics and aesthetics that have ensued from the post-World War II collapse of modernist principles like rationality, progress, unified subjectivity, and transcendental or fixed meaning. Rich here chooses not to adopt the modernist mode of straightforward political didacticism she once preferred in her poetry but curves out a trajectory that embraces postmodern strategies like self-reflexivity, indirection, and indeterminacy, on the one hand, and tropes like pun, parody, irony, and repetition, on the other. These elements of postmodern poetic language offer her the possibility of exploring the theme of aesthetics and its connection with politics alongside her favorite themes like women, race, and history. Rich’s engagement with these themes can be interpreted from various theoretical standpoints, but most importantly from postmodernism, and also from feminism and postcolonialism where they are aligned with postmodernism. Adopting a postmodern approach in her final four poetry books in this postmodern period when the society has become all the more fragmented and uncertain, Rich has not only spoken for the marginalized in a lively manner, but she has also added a new dimension to her poetry.
An Evaluation of English Language Teaching in Bangladesh: A Case Study of Teaching Methods, Approaches and Classroom Environment at the Secondary Level in Rajshahi District
(University of Rajshahi, 2016) Tajin, Julfia; Islam, M. Jahurul
This research attempts to study the present English language teaching situation in general at the secondary level in Bangladesh in the light of the developments in this field. In particular, it examines the methods of and approaches to teaching English at the secondary level in Bangladesh and the classroom environment at the secondary level in Rajshahi District. The present study also recommends some changes that will bring significant effects on teaching and learning of English in Bangladesh. Now it is important to point out what each chapter of the study deals with in a pedagogical way. Chapter one gives an overview of the importance of English in Bangladesh, historical background of English Language Teaching in our country and its gradual ups and downs and failure in the country as well. It also provides the recent developments in language teaching-learning theories and practices. The prevailing condition and the causes of failure of English Language Teaching at the secondary level in Bangladesh have also been discussed here. Objectives of the study have also been stated with some research questions in researcher’s mind to explore the developments in English language teaching and to evaluate the present English language teaching in general in Bangladesh in that light. Particularly to examine the methods of and approaches to teaching English in Bangladesh and to observe the classroom environments at the secondary level in Bangladesh are also the objectives for recommending suitable teaching methodology to be used to bring significant effects and changes on teaching and learning of English in Bangladesh. Justification (rationale), methodology and limitations of the study have been thoroughly explained and the literature of the relevant field has been reviewed properly. The chapter provides the guideline of the whole research. Chapter two presents the background and development of English language in Bangladesh. This chapter shows the pre and post colonial expansion of the use of English as an official language all over the world as well as in Bangladesh. Moreover, different schemes taken in different phases of time by Bangladesh government and the gradual progress of English language teaching and its present scenario have also been discussed to cover the scope of the study. Chapter three basically constructs the conceptual framework of the thesis. It starts with the definition of the terms- ‘Methods’ and ‘Approaches’ and explains theoretical concepts of classroom environment. A language teaching method is a set of procedures which teachers are to follow in the classroom. On the other hand, Approach refers to theories about the nature of language and language learning that serve as the source of practices and principles in language teaching. The chapter discusses a series of language teaching theories and shows that all methods represent a particular language teaching belief and put emphasis on a particular aspect of the central issue of language teaching and learning. In Foreign or second language teaching classroom environment and its proper management deserves ample attention and concentration for the success of the entire teaching learning process. The notion of classroom contains classroom interaction, classroom management, teacher-student relationship, students’ seating arrangements, teacher's position, ability of communication, eye contact, and so on. The chapter also advocates various principles for teachers to involve students in practices of language activities considering their needs and interest. Chapter four presents the methodology used for thorough investigation of the practical situations, experiences, liking, disliking, preferences, expectations, advantages and disadvantages of the teachers and students of Bangladesh about different aspects of language teaching. A proper and appropriate methodology always needs proper planning, designing, collecting, processing, analyzing and interpreting data that is very important for applying proper, suitable and effective methodology and for the validity and reliability of the empirical investigation. This chapter explains the sampling plan of the empirical analysis, the design and construction of the research instruments, the process of administration of the empirical investigation and the methods of processing and analyzing the collected data in detail. Chapter five provides the results and analysis of the empirical study. The results of the empirical survey undertaken to collect data on the students’ ability in four major language skills, the present teaching methods used at the secondary level for teaching English, the issues associated with current testing system, the current English teaching-learning practices and situations and the different aspects of English language teaching and learning at the secondary level in Bangladesh are presented here corresponding to the objectives of the study. The results are discussed and analysed here in detail. Chapter six evaluates teaching Methods and Approaches used at the Secondary Level and the classroom environment at the same Level in Bangladesh. The implementation of CLT methods in Bangladesh has not effectively resulted in the expected outcomes to achieve communicative competence in English. Various kinds of obstacles and problems like teacher-oriented problems, student-oriented problems, problems associated with the testing system, and CLT-oriented problems held up the proper application of CLT in Bangladesh and the expected results. This chapter tries to evaluate whether and how far the present teaching methods and approaches used at the secondary level in Bangladesh and the classroom environment associated with it provide and fulfill the objectives of acquiring communicative competence focused on four major language skills. Chapter seven concludes the dissertation with findings and recommendations of the research. It suggests necessary measures to consider those recommendations for ensuring better teaching and learning. The chapter also makes assumptions so that further research (es) can be conducted in the field.
Challenges of Communicative English Teaching at Secondary Level in Bangladesh: A Study on Narsingdi District
(University of Rajshahi, 2007) Podder, Ranjit; Islam, M. Jahurul
The present research is an attempt to study the status and challenges of communicative English teaching at the secondary level of education in Bangladesh and to suggest some ways out. Though the study is based on the status and challenges of communicative English teaching in Bangladesh, in the course of the study the researcher has tried to identify needs of practicing English teachers as well as of schools. The first chapter clarifies the issues of the research and its background, and formulates research questions and objectives. Scope, limitations and utility of the present research have been stated here. Available literature has been reviewed here to identify research questions and to rationalize the study. Different language learning theories and comments by linguists about CL T have been placed here with a view to making a basis for the present study. This study deals with the introduction and use of CL T at the secondary level of education in Bangladesh. So the emergence of CL T and its background have been discussed briefly in chapter two. CL T was introduced in Bangladesh in the mid nineties of the last century. Almost all the language teaching methods and approaches - old and modem - have been briefly discussed here to make the background and idea of CL T clear to readers. Nature of CL T, expected teacherstudent roles in communicative English classes, and their behaviours have been discussed here. The third chapter discusses the research methods and the data sources required for this study. Primary data have been collected from respondents through Questionnaire Survey, face-to-face Interview, and Observations. And secondary data have been collected through document analysis from different books, journals, websites and so on. Sample size was 228 (Students: 200, English teachers: 20, Head and Assistant Head teachers: 08) and random sampling procedure is used to select study respondents from students, and all English teachers, head teachers and assistant head teachers are selected from each study school. Considerations for designing students' and teachers' questionnaires, constructions of checklists for observation of classroom facilities and classroom interactions, administering the questionnaire surveys and interviews, observing classroom facilities and classroom teaching are discussed in this chapter. The data obtained from the primary sources have been analyzed and presented in the fourth chapter. Collected data have been presented in three ways. Some have been put into tables, and some have been presented in bar-diagrams and pie charts. Qualitative data have been described in view of the set objectives. Chapter five discusses the challenges of implementing CL T curriculum at the secondary level of education in Bangladesh. Teacher education ( degree/diploma in education), training of English teachers, their dedication, motivation, use of teaching materials and teaching aids, before-class preparation, classroom practices, language speaking environment and so on have been discussed in this chapter. Students' motivation and flaws in assessment system have also been discussed here. Conclusions have been drawn in chapter six on the basis of the findings of the study. In the light of the challenges found in the study, suggestions have been made for practicing English teachers as well as policy makers. Some hints for further study have been added for future researchers of this field.
Impediments to Learning English: A Bangladesh Scenario
(University of Rajshahi, 2009) Biswas, Chanchal Kumar; Rehman, Aali Areefur; Islam, M. Jahurul
The present study is an attempt to explore the impediments to learning English all the way from primary to tertiary level in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi students learn the English language compulsorily for a period of 14 years from Class-I to the Undergraduate level. But, the real scenario is that almost no university graduate can express himself or herself fairly well in acceptable English. There is a lack or gap between students' expected level and their present level of proficiency in English. This study examines why there is a lack or gap as mentioned above. After identifying the lack or gap, this study further explores the factors or variables that create the lack or gap, what works as impediments to learning English and deter the Bangladeshi learners from learning the language. The main purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore the variables working as impediments to learning English language in the country. Now it is necessary to point out what each chapter of the study deals with in a pedagogical way. Chapter One introduces the research problem and establishes the topic focus through primary literature survey. It mentions the historical perspective, statement of the problem, conceptual framework, justification of the study, review of literature, research objectives, basic assumptions, utility of the research, schematic diagram, and scope of the study. Limitations of the study also presented in this Chapter. Chapter Two refers to the present ELT scenario in the world today and the status that English enjoys now in the country. The Chapter gives an overall picture of English in Bangladesh. Chapter Three surveys different concepts and approaches to ELT and establishes the relationship between ELT theories and learning English in a non-native context like Bangladesh. In this Chapter, the concepts of learning L1 and L2, its theoretical and historical backgrounds, purposes and functions, goals and objectives and different approaches to and ways of ELT research have been discussed in some detail. This was done with a view to exploring the factors or variables that work as impediments to learning English in Bangladesh. This theoretical framework provides the basis for the empirical survey in this study. Chapter Four discusses the research methodology used in this particular study. The various methods of data collection, the process of and considerations for construction of the students' and teachers' questionnaires, reliability and validity of the questionnaires, sampling of the study, administering the questionnaires and other instruments such as interviews and classroom observation are discussed in detail in the Chapter. This Chapter mentions the basic principles followed for processing and analysing data. Chapter Five analyses the .data that have been obtained for the study through the different methods of data collection discussed in Chapter Four and presents the results of this investigation in further detail. The results are presented under the following main headings: (i) students' expected level of proficiency in English, (ii) students' present level of proficiency in English, (iii) gap or lack between the expected level and the present level of students' proficiency in English, (iv) perception of learning English, (v) extent of students' use of English, (vi) students' exposure to English, (vii) students' background, (viii) English teachers' background, (ix) mode of students' evaluation, (x) rank of four skills (LSRW) in the English classroom (xi) native language interference over English, (xii) the status of English at present and (xii) results of classroom observation. Chapter Six interprets the results discussed in Chapter Five to find the impediments for the Bangladeshi• learners to learn English. The impediments which have been identified are presented in this Chapter under the following main headings: (i) lack of students' proper perception of learning English, (ii) lack of teachers' proper perception of students' learning English, (iii) students' limited use of English, (iv) lack of learners' exposure to English, (v) lack of feedback from society, (vi) students' English phobia, (vii) influence of native language on English, (viii) lack of qualified and trained English teachers, (ix) heavy workload on English teachers, (x) lack of English teachers' understanding, (xi) lack of students' proper evaluation, (xii) lack of motivation towards students , (xiii) lack of teachers' job satisfaction, (xiv) lack of consistency in teaching-learning process, (xv) lack of administrative support, (xvi) lack of coordination among the four levels of study, (xvii) lack of national language policy and (viii) mismatches in the classroom. Chapter Seven is 'summary and conclusions'. It includes the summary and conclusions of the study and the implications of the present study for future research of this type to constantly monitor the change in this field to suit the needs of the country with the passage of time.
Theories and Practices of Teaching and Learning the Basic English Language Skills and the Realities in the National University of Bangladesh
(University of Rajshahi, 2013) Reza, Md.Mohoshin; Islam, M. Jahurul
This research attempts to study the theories and the practices of teaching and learning the Basic English Language Skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, investigating the realities in National University of Bangladesh. It measures the growth rate of practices of the four (04) Basic English language skills in the light of the language theories evolving over centuries all over the world. It also measures the overall rate of students who have the minimum proficiency in four basic English language skills. The research has been conducted in perspective of teaching and learning situations of the National University Compulsory English Course (NUCEC) in Bangladesh. The National University compulsory English course (NUCEC) was introduced in 1995 for enhancing English Language proficiency of nearly one (01) million undergraduating students across the country of Bangladesh in more than 1700 colleges. It drew attention of the researcher for having so many obstacles and so, questions aroused in the mind of the researcher about the condition of the implementation of its syllabus. Implementation of a syllabus is generally possible only through the achievement of the syllabus goals. The syllabus goals ofNUCEC are set to integrate the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing in classroom practices and develop proficiency of students in basic language skills (BLS) to benefit them personally and professionally. These created interests in the mind of the researcher to study language theories, theories of curriculum development, Enlish language teaching (EL T), syllabus design and so on to study and evaluate the syllabus of NUCEC and observe the condition of its implementation in Bangladesh. So, the researcher has explored how the processes of teaching, learning and practices of basic language skills (BLS), in perspective of the NUCEC, are going on in his country. He has also observed how the practices of BLS are held in Bangladesh in the light of the common existing theories of language and English Language Teaching (ELT). The researcher felt inquisitive to empirically investigate: (a) the real position of students' overall proficiency level (OPL) indicating the overall growth rate of the practices (OGRP) of the four basic language skills and (b) the ovrall rate of proficient students (ORPS) in basic language skills in Bangladesh; in regard to the teaching and learning of NUCEC. So, the present research was initiated. The research has investigated the status of the overall growth rate of the practices (OGRP) ofBLS in Bangladesh. It has also measured the overall rate of proficient students (ORPS) in the country practising BLS with minimum level of standard (:MLS). --------