THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A SYMBOL OF SOCIAL STATUS: EXPLORING THE PERCEPTIONS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

The present work focuses on the interconnection between the English language and social class and education in Pakistan. An exploratory concurrent mixed-methods design was used, where data was collected both quantitatively and qualitatively. The participants were 200 university students from two public universities in Pakistan by using a stratified random sampling technique. The findings reveal that the University students in Pakistan assign social status, job prospects and educational mobility to fluency of English. Most importantly the study stresses on the need to enhance English language teaching in Pakistani universities more especially in the perspective of globalization and internationalization. But nevertheless, the study shows that socio-economic status, cultural identification and learning process influence students’ perception about the English language learning. Consequently, this study’s findings have implications for language education policy and process in Pakistan through calling for equitable, and more integrated language education for university learners. In sum, the present research extends the knowledge about the interlinks between language, power and identity in the context of Pakistani society.

Keywords:   English Language, Social Status, University Students, Perceptions, Pakistan