4.1.2. Reported communicative abilities
The ability of the students to understand English utterances
could be classified as «acceptable» since 57% of them claimed they
understand every word (5%) or they miss few words at times (52%). This, in
fact, could be understood especially putting into consideration their claims
concerning their marks. Students' reported communicative abilities were
investigated also with reference to another variable, which is their ability to
communicate only in English. The figures concerning this question illustrate
that only 10% of them could use English without being obliged to resort to
French or gestures. This figure does not seem striking, as complete competence
in English is hardly expected from students of science in an EFL country
like Tunisia. Actually, 51% of the students resort to French
that offer them an alternative solution when they fail in finding the
appropriate English words. This could be explained by the daily access to
French in the lives of those students as they are educated through it more than
they are educated through English.
4.1.3. English vs. French in science students' daily
use
Concerning favourite films, 75% of the students prefer to
watch the French version in comparison to only 25% preferring the English one,
which reveals French domination and emphasise the idea of francophone Tunisia.
However, the importance of the 25% should not be ignored especially if some
historical facts that are linked to the near (real) introduction of English vs.
the older domination of French are put into consideration. Such a figure could
reflect the (relatively) fast and important spread of English in Tunisian
students' entertainment activities. Pertinent dominance of French is derived
from its authority over the educational of science students in Tunisia. For
instance, if students are to look for information concerning their courses
(that are taught in French), the majority of them (83%) are going to use French
in their search not English (17%). An important fact that needs to be
recognised also concerning the high rate of using French is that proficiency in
this language is higher by definition as it is the language of instruction and
the second language of the country. Putting in consideration these fact, one
could wonder about the perception of the value of English among those
students.
4.2. Tunisian university science students' perception
of the value of
English
Four sub-sections are going to be the components of this
section, which are English in students' plans , the question of why English,
science and the question of language, and obstacles of learning English and
some suggested solutions.
4.2.1. English in students plans
The analysis of the results concerning the presence of English
in students career plans show that students valued having more access to
internet sites for their studies (59%) more than studying in an English
speaking country (41%). This reflects awareness about the importance of the
World Wide Web (that is mainly speaking English) in education. The important
percentage of students preferring to study in an English speaking country
reveals that Tunisian science students recognise the value of English as the
new lingua franca of the world.
However, mere awareness of the importance of English is to be
accompanied with a real work on mastering it, which is not, unfortunately, the
case with Tunisian university science students. The analysis of the second
question, which concerns the presence of English in students' plans in the
past, shows that 74% have not attempted to improve their language skills
outside the classroom. Thus, real awareness about the importance of English
translated into real actions to invest in learning it. This leads to thinking
about the possible reasons behind this situation. In fact, 32 reasons out of
102 reflected that students were `not motivated' to do so, which means that
they had no encouragement from their educators nor from their parents. This
means that the responsibility of not being highly competent in English is
shared between the students, parents, and the educational system. Those who
claimed that there was `no need to' study English (mentioned 21 times) thought
that their level in English is sufficient. The relatively high prices provided
by the institutions teaching English, and mainly private ones and the British
Council, was a reason mentioned 22 times in science students' responses. Time
limitation was mentioned 27 times out of 102 and it could be understood only
with reference to the claimed loaded timetables that students complain
of. It seems that students found excuses reflecting lack of
motivation and the little attention language development in English has
captured in their lives as students.
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