Undergraduates’ Perception of English and Khowar as Languages of Instruction: A Survey of Chitral

Abstract

This study intends to investigate undergraduate students' perception of English as an International Language (EIL) and Khowar as mediums of instruction in the higher education institutions in Chitral, Pakistan. In wake of globalization, EIL has attained significance as instructional language; however, some academicians favor indigenous languages for instruction. The divergence of viewpoints necessitates contextualized research in Pakistan. Resonating with quantitative research paradigm, a 12-item questionnaire on Likert-Scale was administered online to 100 undergraduates in Chitral. The findings revealed that a huge majority of the learners favored English more than Khowar to be used as a medium of instruction at the higher education institutions. So, this study offers insights about the intricate language dynamics in Chitral. Further comparative research may be conducted to identify the effects of educational interventions and linguistic policy on the attitudes of learners and/or teachers across age, gender, and educational level towards and competency of EIL learners and Chitralis.