Attitudes towards French and English among University Students and Teachers Case of 1st Year Biology Students and Teachers at the University of Tlemcen

Abstract

his work focuses on the attitudes of university teachers and students towards foreign languages in Algeria. French and English represent a very important and interesting factor that makes Algeria open to the world, a fact that led to focus on their use in education. A particular interest is reserved to the University of Tlemcen which is the case study in this research. The research work investigates the theories surrounding bilingualism, multilingualism, and language attitudes, in addition to the sociolinguistic situation of Algeria and the language policy that have an influence on the languages used in education. Data for this study came from two questionnaires and classroom observation distributed in a period of three months to sixty students and ten teachers from the Department of Biology at the University of Tlemcen. The results obtained from this work indicated that the majority of students are semilinguals. It also revealed students’ attitudes towards both French and English. Through the research investigation, it is concluded that French is necessary in teaching as well as in learning. It is also essential in making academic proficiency more effective. At the end, the research gives surprising results about the future of English language in the Algerian educational system according to both teachers’ and students’ views.