Exploring algerian university students' attitudes towards the use of english as a medium of medical instruction

Abstract

The main purpose behind conducting this present study is to explore the attitudes and motivations of the students towards the use of English as a medium of instruction in Algerian higher education context. To achieve this aim, the present research adopted a quantitative method in which a questionnaire was administered to fifty (50) first year medical students at the University of Bejaia enrolled for the academic year 2022/2023. The findings of this study revealed that students have very positive attitudes towards using English as a medium of instruction at university. Moreover, students were found to feel extremely motivated and ready to study their content subjects in English and to start learning at least one or two subjects in English in their next semester. Furthermore, findings revealed that students have limited proficiency in English, and need to attend language training courses in English in order to improve their skills and enhance their proficiency in English before shifting to English-medium studies. On the basis of these findings, this study suggests some pedagogical implications for teachers, students, and mainly policy makers in order to efficiently introduce English as a medium of instruction in Algerian universities.