Inadequate Grammatical Proficiency of B. Ed. English Majors: Claims and Confessions

Subjective critiques can often be heard about the quality of English language teaching and learning in higher education in Nepal — both as being deteriorated and upgraded. This study stemming from the major finding of a previous one — low grammatical proficiency of B. Ed. English majors studying at a community campus in Nepal — was an attempt, as a case study, to explore the reasons perceived by the English majors themselves and their teachers as the participants. Focus group discussions were conducted separately with the different groups of participants. Discussed thematically in this article, the major reasons for this as perceived by the participants were the decreased sense of responsibility and misconceptions about the essence of the practical examinations, inappropriate instructional techniques — specifically excessive lectures — and students’ poor English-base and absenteeism as a tendency. Likewise, some other reasons were students’ insufficient exposure to English, their hesitation to produce English and a lack of professional development opportunities for the teachers. Low grammatical competence of the students and less favorable learning environment were also identified as being attributable to the problem. Finally we suggest that some common efforts of the students, the teachers and the institution are required to improve the situation.