English As A Medium Of Instruction And Research In Algerian Higher Education: Investigating Francophone Teachers’ Perspectives And Cognitive Language Processing
Keywords:
Algerian higher education, attitudes towards English-medium instruction, cognitive processes, francophone instructorsAbstract
The Algerian higher education sector is shifting towards English as the primary language of teaching and research. The effectiveness of this shift remains to be confirmed, particularly with regard to the continued role of French as a medium of instruction. This study aims to examine the attitudes of Algerian Francophone university teachers towards this shift, the place of the French language in their English-based teaching and research, and whether the adoption of English impacts Francophone teachers' cognitive language use. The study used a mixed-methods approach that combined a survey (N=50), analysis of 11 texts for linguistic patterns, and linguistic analysis to explore Francophone teachers' cognitive tendencies in their English written research. The results revealed that 14.0% of the participants hold negative attitudes towards teaching and research in English. As far as the role of English in Francophone teachers’ thinking processes, the analysis found that English is not their primary language of thought but rather a tool for expressing ideas that were initially formulated either in French 44.0% or both French and mother tongue 24.0%. Also, AI-assisted analysis of Francophone teachers shows that 100% of their academic writing is generated by AI, proving a reliance on AI for translation rather than direct thinking in English. These findings highlight the challenges facing the transition to English-language education in the Algerian context, particularly its impact on teachers’ attitudes, cognitive engagement, and research productivity. Ultimately, the findings confirmed that teachers rely on their language of training and academic development, with English serving merely as a translated medium of expression.
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