Abstract
Claiming the 'failure' of the Arabicization policy adopted a few years after independence, the Moroccan Ministry of Education decided in 2019 to officially reintroduce the French language as a medium of instruction (FMI) for science subjects. This decision ignited a tense debate about languages in the country especially among politicians. In this very polarized political debate, the educational facet was eclipsed and learners’ and educators’ voices remained largely ‘silenced’. This study seeks to break this silence by giving students a voice. Taking a narrative approach, it aims to reveal how language beliefs shape students’ experiences in FMI science classes. To that end, fifteen high school students were asked to write narratives about their experiences of learning science in French. The dataset was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Three central intertwined themes were identified: (a) ambivalent language ideologies; (b) FMI as opportunity; and (c) FMI as hurdle. The results indicate that students are ambivalent about their experiences with FMI policy, in that, they see it as both an occasion to hone their language skills, but also as a barrier to learning science. The study concludes with implications for language policy decision-makers and educators.
Author Information
Khalid Laanani, Hassan II University, Morocco
Said Fathi, Hassan II University, Morocco
Paper Information
Conference: IICE2024
Stream: Educational policy
This paper is part of the IICE2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
To cite this article:
Laanani K., & Fathi S. (2024) Unheard Voices: A Narrative Exploration of Moroccan Science Learners’ Experiences With French-Medium Instruction Policy ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2024 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2024.29
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2024.29
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress