Master of Arts in English

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Alternative assessments in rural Bangladeshi schools in post-pandemic times: an evaluation
(BRAC University, 2023-05) Robin, Moinul Hoque; Ahmed, Sabreena
Alternative Assessments in Bangladesh were practised a lot during the COVID-19 period. As all the educational institutions are nationwide shut down and face-to-face learning sessions was not possible. This study explores the challenges of rural S.S.C students while facing ‘Alternative Assessments’ during the pandemic. In addition, this paper also investigates their challenges after reopening schools, and their overcoming process. For this study, the researcher chose five participants of S.S.C levels from different schools in different rural areas, using the qualitative method. The researcher finds that school authority was unsupportive, and students faced an information gap at the beginning of their online learning. Besides, they faced internet and electricity problems a lot. Some teachers were not sincere in traditional assessments. Most of the students struggled with both short and long syllabi considering the situations. Further research is needed to identify other factors that could strengthen the effectiveness of this kind of study.
Challenges experienced by Bangladeshi IELTS test-takers
(BRAC University, 2021-02) Sultana, Khondaker Sumaiya; Ahmed, Sabreena
This study explored the challenges Bangladeshi IELTS test-takers experience while taking the test, and to investigate this matter the researcher adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach. In addition, to conduct this study the researcher used purposive data sampling techniques to select eight participants where each of the participants was considered an individual case and semi-structured interviews were conducted with them. The researcher used Cummins quadrant model theory 1984 (p.12), to find out the challenges faced by the researchers and the findings of the study revealed that among four modules of IELTS test, reading was the most challenging part for them. In addition, time management, fear of repeating the test, continuity of the test and examiner‟s unfriendly attitude in speaking part were reported to be the most challenging part for Bangladeshi IELTS test-takers. The study also found that the examinees faced problems due to the lack of critical thinking skills, vocabulary knowledge and grammar. This study is notable as it highlights the gap of knowledge regarding the challenges test-takers face while taking IELTS test in an ESOL context as Bangladesh. It also recommended some plausible solutions to overcome the challenges mentioned by the participants.
Challenges of English writing after reopening of schools: a study of Bangladeshi higher secondary students
(BRAC University, 2023-05) Nihal, L.M. Raghib; Ahmed, Sabreena
The main focus of this study is to explore the challenges of English writing of higher secondary level students after reopening the institutions in Bangladesh. It displayed both the teachers' and the students' perceptions of the difficulties that students now encounter when it comes to English writing after the reopening of the schools. A qualitative multiple case study methodology was used in the study, and the researcher used purposeful sampling to assist in selecting eight students from the higher secondary level and five teachers for data collection. Besides, as this is qualitative research, data were collected form the interviews and students’ writing. The students were asked to write an essay on a topic which was given by the researcher. Moreover, the researcher has created a conceptual framework by combining the elements sentence structure, word choice, spelling, grammatical error, coherence and cohesion, generating ideas, translate L1 to L2 (Lin & Morrison, 2021), writing anxiety (Aloairdhi, 2019) and lack of English reading and handwriting speed (Skar, Graham & Huebner, 2021). The findings showed that students faced difficulties in terms of English writing after reopening since they did not practice English writing during the pandemic. Additionally, they have trouble writing in English due to grammar and spelling errors, lack of coherence and cohesiveness, vocabulary problems, lack of concentration, and sentence structure. From the teacher participants, it was found that the students face difficulties with writing anxiety, lack of concentration during online classes. Moreover, the findings of this research will be beneficial for both students and teachers, it will help the teacher to take necessary steps to prevent the challenges that the students are facing after reopening the institutions. The conceptual framework may also be utilized to address global issues related to English writing.
Exploring the role of English thesis supervisor-supervisee: expectations and relationship
(BRAC University, 2024-09) Tasnim, Nowshin Nower; Ahmed, Sabreena
This study explores the dynamics between English thesis supervisors and supervisees within MA programs at both public and private universities, focusing on expectations and challenges. Despite the acknowledged significance of the supervisor-supervisee relationship in academic writing, there is a notable lack of information in the literature regarding the unique dynamics within the Bangladeshi ESOL context, particularly among master's students. Therefore, this study aims to bridge this gap. Utilising a phenomenological study, qualitative interviews revealed that supervisees faced various obstacles, including difficulties in topic selection, resource acquisition, and balancing academic responsibilities with personal life. Moreover, they encountered issues related to grammar, methodological frameworks, literature review, and emotional challenges, which often resulted in low self-confidence. In response, supervisees employed strategies such as seeking detailed feedback, maintaining open communication, and fostering supportive relationships with their supervisors. The findings emphasise that supervisees expect mutual respect, friendly interactions, comprehensive feedback, emotional support, and consistent guidance throughout the thesis process. Furthermore, the study underscores the necessity for supervisors to adopt personalised supervisory styles that address individual needs, thereby significantly enhancing the overall thesis experience. The study informs the best practices for thesis supervision, offering valuable insights applicable not only to ESOL contexts such as Bangladesh but worldwide.
Exploring vocabulary learning strategies adopted by Bangladeshi tertiary level students
(BRAC University, 2021-09) Arif, Mohammad Ridwan; Ahmed, Sabreena
Vocabulary is an essential element of language learning process and a very basic structure of language development. Students of Bangladesh use different strategies to learn new words. This study investigates which strategies tertiary students are following for vocabulary learning, what they are thinking about the strategies and what kind of challenges they are facing while vocabulary learning. The researcher of this study applied a qualitative multiple case study approach among five participants from five different universities in Bangladesh. The participants were invited to participate in one-to-one vocabulary learning sessions where the researcher showed them a list of vocabulary items. After looking at the list for 10 minutes, the participants were getting interval for 15 minutes. After the interval, they were asked to recall the vocabulary items and write them. All the participants were interviewed immediately after the writing activity. The findings of the study suggested that students were interested to use contextualisation, translation, and synonyms while remembering new words. They also mentioned that word related to academic study and social media were easier to remember. The participants believed that traditional dictionary has been replaced with digital online thesaurus which is very useful. However, poor internet connectivity does not allow them to utilise online thesaurus when they required. This study will help students to know about vocabulary learning strategies and teachers will know about the strategies students are following to remember new words.
From education to professional life: language proficiency and social adaptation challenges faced by Bangladeshi Madrasah students
(BRAC University, 2026-01) Hossain, Sahadat; Ahmed, Sabreena
The increasing demands of globalisation have made the English language a gatekeeper for entering the professional world. Despite having opportunities to enter the job market, madrasah students face difficulties with English. The current study focuses on their English language learning, leaving a gap in understanding their communicative adaptations in the workplace. Thus, to address this gap, this study explores how Bangladeshi madrasah students experience their communicative challenges, how these challenges affect their social adaptation, and what coping strategies they use to overcome them. Employing a qualitative case study, this research captures the lived experiences of five Bangladeshi madrasah students working across multiple sectors through semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify the themes. The findings reveal that English-language education in madrasah is mostly exam-oriented and focuses only on reading and writing, leading participants to face challenges with spoken English, professional writing, formal norms, and accent-related insecurities, which sometimes hinder their professional interactions. Social adaptation challenges include interactions with the opposite gender and discrimination based on attire and in the job sector recruitment. However, participants have developed strategies such as self-directed learning using online tools, writing books and dictionaries, and becoming more flexible in adapting to secular settings. This study recommends curriculum reforms for CLT and provides teacher training to better prepare madrasah students for the professional environment. The findings make a significant contribution to understanding employability, educational equality, and the gatekeeping role of English in a postcolonial context.
Implementing kinesthetic activities among young learners of English in Bangladesh
(BRAC University, 2022-09) Roy, Binoy; Ahmed, Sabreena
This study explores both traditional and kinesthetic activity-based English classrooms of young learners in Bangladesh. It adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach and selected a cohort of six students of grade one and two as the participants of the study through the purposive sampling techniques. The researcher designed the conceptual framework of the study with the combination of traditional activities (Madani, 2021) and kinesthetic activities (Jill, 2022). For the data collection, the researcher conducted four classes; two traditional and two kinesthetic activity-based classes where he observed the students in the classes. After the analying the observation, field-notes and video recordings of the classes, the researcher took semi-structured individual interviews of the students and their parents. The qualitative thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed that in most of the cases, the implementation of kinesthetic activities brought a more positive outcome in all of the students except for one participant. Some of the positive outcomes included students‟ higher interest, interaction, attention and participation in the kinesthetic classes. This study is significant in filling the gap of knowledge about the influences of kinesthetic activities in young learners‟ classrooms and, has pedagogical and theoretical implications as well which is recommended for teachers of English who teach young learners in an ESOL context such as Bangladesh.
Motivation of rural students in learning English language : a case study on Bangladeshi ESOL learners
(BRAC University, 2021-09) Joydhar, Agness Jery; Ahmed, Sabreena
Motivation is a significant factor in learning a second language. Motivation and learning are interconnected with each other. Learners will succeed when they get the right motivation in the classroom. The rural students of Bangladesh face difficulties in learning English because they have less motivation to learn a second language. Research suggests that some factors affect the motivation of rural students in learning English language. To date, limited studies have been conducted on rural students’ motivation in an ESOL context such as Bangladesh. Thus, this study explored the factors that affect learners’ motivation in learning English as a second language and their perceptions. The researcher chose a qualitative, multiple case study approach where each of the students was considered as a case. The interviews were taken in a semi-structured method via telephone to collect the data from the participants. The findings revealed that some factors affect their motivation in English language learning. The factors are socio-economic background, learners’ personality and the learning situation, teacher influence, and teacher biased attitude, exam-oriented learning, suggestion-based learning, fear and anxiety in learning. This study has pedagogical and theoretical implications as well which is recommended for any teacher in a similar ESOL context.
The psycho-social challenges faced by Bangladeshi tertiary level students during the Covid -19 pandemic
(BRAC University, 2023-12) Akka, Nitto; Ahmed, Sabreena
The COVID-19 pandemic had a harmful impact on the students around the world and in Bangladesh as well. Hence, this study aims at exploring the psycho-social challenges the Bangladeshi students, particularly the students of Notre Dame University Bangladesh, faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also, intends to demonstrate how these psychological impacts of COVID 19 pandemic affected the academic performances of the students. The researcher designed the conceptual framework of the study through the adaptation of the PACES model of students’ well-being that: physical, affective, economic, cognitive and social domains (Nelson et al., 2015). The study adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach and selected a cohort of six students of different departments of Notre Dame University, Bangladesh through the purposive sampling techniques. For the data collection, the researcher took semi-structured individual interviews of the students. The qualitative thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that the students were inflicted with various mental and physical health issues such as depression, fear, anger, uncertainty, loss of fear, loneliness, excessive daytime sleepiness, decreased appetite, obesity and feelings of fatigue. The study reveals that because of the closure of the academic institutions and shifting to online classes the students perform poorly in academic endeavors. This study is significant in filling the gap of knowledge regarding the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 on the tertiary level students of a South Asian Country such as Bangladesh which resulted in their poor performance. Similar effects can be observed among students of English departments of higher educational institutions.
The unexplored realities of the students of urban slum during and after COVID-19: impacts, challenges and resolutions
(BRAC University, 2026-04) Rozario, Badhon Hilarash; Ahmed, Sabreena
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global crisis that affected every facet of daily life, including education. The most profound challenges faced by students specifically slum students during the pandemic were often overlooked. Therefore, the study explored the slum-dwelling students in and after the pandemic to unveil the unidentified stories, experiences, and challenges of these poor and marginalized students alienated from mainstream students. A qualitative multiple case study was adopted through semi-structured interviews to identify their experiences and harsh realities during the pandemic. This research was conducted among twenty-five high school urban slum students in a tuition-free underprivileged school. The study's major findings through the qualitative thematic analysis of the interview transcripts show that many of the students left Dhaka for their ancestral home due to the economic crisis, the closure of all forms of classes, the inability to have technological devices, and the want of helpful personnel in their studies. Their challenges were psychological, physical, social, civic, and technological illiteracy. This piece of work fills the gap in exploring the realities of slum-dwelling students in and after the pandemic, seeking the probable steps they took to continue their studies, and providing some recommendations for the state and society to work out. The study also invites advanced research to discover the complexities and constraints of the slum students, particularly related to education.
Using metacognitive strategies in academic reading: A case study on Bangladeshi ESOL learners
(BRAC University, 2021-05) Doly, Fahmira Akther; Ahmed, Sabreena
Students of English language classrooms in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) context often face difficulties in understanding English texts. Research suggests that various metacognitive reading strategies may help students to improve reading comprehension. To date, there has been limited studies on this aspect in an ESOL context such as Bangladesh. Thus, this study explored how a training on metacognitive strategies affect tertiary level students’ reading comprehension. The researcher chose a qualitative, multiple case study approach to conduct the study. In the first phase, the participants were asked to comprehend a text without any training on metacognitive strategies. The second phase consisted of a training on metacognitive strategies of reading while the third phase asked the participants to read a new text utilising the learnt strategies. Finally, the participants shared their views on their experience through a semi-structured interview. The findings revealed that students have improved their ability to comprehend a text after receiving the metacognitive training in terms of timing, fluency and motivation for reading. The study has pedagogical and theoretical implications as well as replicable for any teacher researcher in a similar ESOL context.