Complexities in Learning English as Foreign Language in Bangladesh

Abstract

This research brings out the problems and challenges in learning English as foreign language. In Bangladesh, students are taught English as a mandatory subject from the beginning of primary level. Grammar translation method and product oriented writing are applied in the class. But after 10 years of schooling, 93% students can neither write English accurately nor speak fluently. Students receive English as a subject to be passed with good grade, not as a language to learn. As a result, the four language skills remain damaged and the objective of teaching English remain unfulfilled. There are some traditionally rooted problems in learning English which are method oriented, teacher oriented and learner oriented. To identify those problems, this research collects primary data through survey. It is a quantitative research applying survey method using questionnaires as tool. The sampling procedure covered 20 teachers and 120 students. Through analyzing the surveyed data, this research exposes the complexities faced by the students of Bangladesh in learning English.