Ambitions and Obstacles to English Learning among Children of Tea Garden Workers in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the ambitions of Tea Garden Workers’ children in learning the English language, as well as the obstacles they experience in this process, with a particular focus on how extreme poverty within their community hinders the quality of English education they receive. The study provides recommendations for policymakers to implement real-life solutions that ensure equal learning opportunities for the children of this marginalized community. A closed ended questionnaire consisting of 30 Likert-scale questions was developed for data collection to measure six factors that are based on Stephen Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. A task was also provided to measure the participant’s English proficiency. Using the questionnaire, data has been collected from 75 children enrolled in three primary schools located in three different tea gardens in Moulvibazar. Findings from this quantitative study reveal that although these children possess strong motivation to learn English, significant economic and social barriers hinder their learning process which keeps them stuck inside the constant intergenerational poverty cycle. The study provides insights and recommendation for the governmental and non-governmental organizations to take necessary initiatives in order to enhance the quality of English education of the children in Tea Garden communities.