Obstacles in Learning English as a Second Language among Intermediate Students of Districts Mianwali

and Bhakkar, Pakistan Tahir Jahan Khan1, Nasrullah Khan2.

English is a popular and compulsory language in Pakistan, but it faces various challenges in learning,
including an increasing failure rate in public examinations. A recent study revealed the difficulties faced
by intermediate collegiate students in male colleges in the remotest districts of Mianwali and Bhakkar.
The study found that factors such as ambiguous educational policies, bias attitudes towards English, poor
parental and teacher behavior, adverse government policies, unavailability of modern teaching
technology, lack of English teachers, flawed syllabi, examination system, lack of teaching training, and
poor teacher positions contribute to the hurdles faced by students. The study calls for state support to
strengthen English’s position.

This study investigates the challenges faced by male intermediate students in the public sector of
Mianwali and Bhakkar, southern Punjab, Pakistan, in learning English as a second language. It shows the
influence of Urdu and Saraiki mother tongues on English learning, considering social aspects and
educational policies. The research aims to identify these hurdles and explore their impact on English
competence. This paper investigates the obstacles students in Districts Mianwali and Bhakkar face in
learning English at the Intermediate level in Pakistan’s public sector colleges. It examines the influence of
their mother tongues and regional languages, and also the learning process in educational institutions.
The study target to provide insights into these challenges.This study aims to analyze English learning
obstacles among Intermediate collegiate students in Mianwali and Bhakkar, propose solutions to
improve the situation, and offer future guidance.

This study aims at answering to these questions:

1. What are the obstacles in learning English as second language being faced by the Intermediate
students Of Districts Mianwali and Bhakkar of Pakistan?
2. How these obstacles can be removed among the learners of English, as a second language,
among Pakistani Intermediate, collegiate’ students?
3. How the recommendations of this study can be implied among parents, teachers and students
for improving these obstacles for learning English as second language in the country?

Obstacle may be measured in many ways as quoted Newell & Simon (1972) as cited in their research ITS.
This study is going to explore the obstacles in learning English academically. But this study does not
intend to look at the issue as has been observed by such obstacles and problems in language learning
arise when there is no organism between available data and grammar.
In our context of study, the learners use Saraiki and Urdu respectively as their mother tongue and their
home cultures are critical to the development of

Written language models of reading and writing in English as a second language and compulsory subject.
In such condition, the learners are at harm for success because they face many obstacles as Gay (1988)
and Snow (1992) proved in their research Foertsch (1998) Second Language Learning. North Central
Regional Educational Laboratory, Learning Point Association.

Regarding the function of a language, each language has four skills as Listening, Speaking, Reading and
Writing. The disability or competency over a language varies as the medley of the socio-linguistic division
in this world. As Morley (1972) cited by Celce-Murcia, M. (2001) Teaching English as a Second or foreign
Language. 3rd Edition, Heinle & Heinle Publisher,

Boston.It has observed that listening gets complexity and difficulties in a

Place where it is being used as non-native language. In this way, the significance of the Speaking skill is of
great importance and its importance cannot be denied (Bailey and savage 1994) Lazaraton ,Brown

(1994) also cited by Lazaraton in has mentioned many factors that make it a challenging skill of English
language. Reading is a socio-interaction process in which “a text”, “a reader” and “so-

Cial context” are involved Bernhardt (1991) as cited by Ediger , But Grabe (1991) as referred by Ediger
has mentioned the difficulties in learning this.

This study uses both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Quantitative data was collected
through questionnaires from teachers and students, analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Qualitative data was
collected through interviews with male intermediate students from four public sector colleges in Distt.
Mianwali and Bhakkar. The research methodology, as advocated by Brian Patridge and Sue Starfield,
include a survey research strategy, distributing questionnaires among 10 English teachers and 65 male
intermediate students. This approach confirm standardization and allows respondents to infer the
researcher’s desired results.

The study is an attempt to explore the difficulties in learning English and it has been brought to light that
there are obstacles in learning English. Through the data collected, it has been revealed that the
students are facing problem in learning English. The study conducted shows that all teachers and
students have reported that students are
Facing obstacles in learning English. These are as following

(1)Large and overcrowded class.

(2)Role of motivation.

(3) Obstacle in language skills.

(4)Lack of interest and ruthless attitude towards college teachers.

(5) Lack of teacher’s training.

(6) Shortage of College teachers.

(7) Discouraging behavior of teachers.

(8)English curriculum.

The study reveals that intermediate male students in public sector colleges face obstacles in learning
English due to their mother tongues, Urdu and Saraiki. The country’s sub-continent history and lack of
consent from the inhabitant’s forefathers have led to hesitancy towards English as a language of their
past British imperials.

Speaking Problems in English and Solutions: Scrutinizing Students’ Perspective

Iffat Jahan Suchona Lecturer, Department of English, University of Asia Pacifi c, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Sadia Afrin Shorna Lecturer, Department of English, University of Asia Pacifi c, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The paper examines the impact of students’ background and affective factors on their speaking skills in
Bangladesh’s private university sectors. It uses a questionnaire to identify major problems faced by
tertiary level learners in speaking English and suggests scenario to overcome these issues. The study
suggests that a friendly speaking environment with effective feedback can help overcome anxiety, fear,
and performance pressure.

The transition from General Tolerance to Common Language Teaching (GTM) has made speaking a
crucial skill for learners. In Bangladesh, English is used primarily for functional purposes, with the
education system divided into Bangla Medium, English Medium, and Madrassa system. However, English
is not always the medium of irecommended rules for guidance in non-English major classes in public
and national universities. In private universities, students must submit assignments, class presentations,
and exam answers in English. English skills are also required in professional tests like IELTS and TOEFL.
The current state of English language in the country is essential to understand the main causes of
speaking in English and probable ways to overcome them. Language learning involves factors such as
motivation, attitude, and anxiety. Krashen’s oh Filter Hypothesis suggests that learners can acquire a
second language only if they can attain comprehensible input and have low emotional filters. In
Bangladeshi private university classrooms, negative factors like lack of motivation, anxiety, or dislike of
the second language culture can hinder progress in language acquisition.

In light of what has been discussed above, the Researchers have formed the following questions:

1. What are the problems that cause hindrance in speaking English among the new
Undergraduates?

2. How these problems can be overcome from the Perspectives of the learners?

Ahmed’s 2006 study (cited in Kabir 2014) and Chowdhury & Shaila’s 2011 research has identified That
the big classrooms, lack of self-confidence, co-operative peers and unsupportive communicative
Environment, students’ shyness are the main Hindrances behind Bangladeshi students’ learning and
speaking English. (Cited in Kabir 2014)

Kabir (2004) shows that Bangladesh has a well-informative for Today (EFT) book to teach spoken English
from primary education, but it has been neglected in the Bangladeshi classroom from the root level. The
literature review here gives us the entire picture of the associatedfi eldsfor teaching and learning spoken
English in the Bangladeshi context.

Siddique (2004) has regulated a study in Bangladesh and found out, administrative context,Teacher-
centered classrooms, large classes, and cultural confl icts are the most common challenges for the
Bangladeshi students to speak English.

Another research by Svetlana, Timina and

Butler’s (2011, as cited in Kabir, 2014) on 70 masters Students at Shih Chien University in Taiwan has
noted that learners’ reluctance and anxiety to speak,lack of motivation, rote learning and unpleasant
and embarrassing topics hold them back from speaking English with ease.

Scrivener (1994) has asserted, “EFL learners Generally do not have adequate access to practice TL in the
classrooms” (p. 161). Thus they feel uncertain,nervous, and get scared to speak English. In line with That,
Larsari (2011) has reviewed an article and has Denoted that the EFL and ESL students do not get a proper
environment in class to practice English Speaking. However, Bangladeshi English learners Also encounter
similar challenges in learning,speaking, and practicing English in and out of the Classrooms.

The data was collected using a quantitative survey questionnaire with 26 questions, ranging from
strongly disagree to strongly agree, influenced by Urmee’s 2013 survey. The researchers modified the
questionnaire to suit their context.
The survey explained that 47.65% and 36.22% of students believe they are learning English to get a good
job with practical rewards. However, 42.79% strongly agree with the second question, “I want to speak
English to settle in abroad,” while 46.50% strongly disagree. Most students do not believe they are
studying English to read books and watch movies easily, as they learn English through these activities.
Instead of being happy with their English class and teachers’ feedback, students still face problems
during speaking English fluently and accurately.

The study also found that 42.29% of students believe on that teachers’ feedback positively affects their
improvement in speaking English. However, 31.57% of students do not believe higher grades encourage
them to study English more.

The majority of students feel anxious when others speak better than them, and 46.64% of students
grope for words during conversations. Many students still have a fear of criticism and fear making errors
in speaking. The study suggests that improving speaking abilities and addressing these issues can help
students overcome their challenges in learning English.

This paper examines speaking-in-class difficulties faced by undergraduate students in a compulsory

English course in Bangladesh. The survey data shows that students often struggle with anxiety, lack self-
confidence, and motivation to use English. Some students believe that vocabulary focus, audiovisual
focus, self-practice, social focus, meta-cognitive focus, compensatory focus, and affective focus can
reduce anxiety. Vocabulary repertoire and classroom environment are essential tools for exterminate
speaking anxiety. Emphasizing presentation and pronunciation skills at the beginning of academic studies
can reduce anxiety. Teachers should identify students with anxiety and seek applicable strategies to help
them overcome these challenges.