The effects of language of instruction on learners’ achievements in a nonlinguistic subject (mathematics) at primary level in Pakistan
Saira Maqbool
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur
Pakistan
sana.sana98@yahoo.com
Mohammad Nadeem
The Islamia Uniersity of Bahawalpur
Pakistan
nadeem2770@gmail.com
Saima Maqbool
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur
Pakistan
sshah1122@gmail.com
Abstract: The main objective of this survey research will be to compare the achievement of
primary school learnersthrough three different medium of instructions which are currently in
use in Pakistan. A descriptive method of research will be used for the investigation. Out of all
the population of primary level mathematic teachers of Pakistan, 1100 teachers will be
selected from six regions of the country by random sampling technique. Furthermore, 200
educationist and psycho-linguists will also be selected through convenient sampling technique.
Two research instruments will be used for data collection that is a questionnaire for teachers
and a semi structured interview for educationist and psycho-linguists. Data will be analyzed in
SPSS software. Various formulas i.e., mean score, percentage, standard deviation, and mode
for each question. Moreover, thematic data analysis will be done to evaluate the information
collected through interviews. Applicable recommendation will be made in light of the
findings.
Introduction
Pakistan has five categories of school-level education:
 private elite English medium schools

private non-elite ‘English medium’ schools
 government Urdu medium schools
 government English medium schools
 dini madaris (madrasas)
As there are different categories of institutes in Pakistan, there are differences in the academic achievements of
the students at primary level. The National Education policy makers have tried their best in in education policies of
1947 ,1959 ,1970,1972, 1975,1979,1982,1992,2002 and 2009 to minimize these difference but in vain. In the
educational policy 2009, language of instruction was the center of attention and it was declared that the achievement
difference between the public and private schools is because private schools use English as medium of instruction.
According to the British Council report (24th October 2010) on English language in Pakistan, a child in a
government school will need a further 1.5 years to achieve what a child in Year 3 in a private non-elite school has
achieved in mathematics in Urdu, whilst a government school pupil will need a further 2.5 years to achieve what a
Year 3 pupil in a private non-elite school can do in English.
Keeping in view this difference in achievement, the government has decided in the National Educational Policy
2009(NEP) to change the language of instruction in primary government schools from Urdu and regional languages
to English language from the year 2004. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2009 is the latest in a series of
education policies dating back to the very inception of the country in 1947. The question that is generally asked is
that whether language of instruction is only responsible for the achievement gap between the performance of
English medium and Urdu medium schools.
Problem Formation
The disparity between private English medium and government U
rdu medium schools is more
complex than merely ensuring a common medium of instruction. White Paper, the first public document of the
education policy of 1998-2010, declares that since English is an economic necessity, it should be promoted as the
national medium of instruction at primary level. The same document declares that since Urdu is our national
language, it should not be ignored and should continue to be the language of instruction at primary level. Even still
the same document argues that since in certain areas Urdu is perceived as an imperialist language, regional language
should be the language of instruction at primary level.
According to UNESCO (2006) there are 17,806,488 students enrolled in primary school, which makes
49.3% of the total students enrolled in Pakistan in 2006. We cannot simply ignore the major issue of language of
instruction. A very through survey is needed to reach to the right conclusion or otherwise this issue will continue
affecting the lives of millions of students in a negative way and our policy makers will still be confused in selecting
English, Urdu and regional languages to be the medium of instruction at primary level. The present study would be
undertaken to investigate the effects of language of instruction on leaners’ achievement in the subject of
mathematics in class V
Research Objectives
Objectives of this research will be to:
 calculate the differences of achievement in the subject of mathematics the V grade learners through
 English as medium of instruction
 Urdu as medium of instruction
 Regional languages as medium of instruction
 investigate the problems faced by teachers while teaching mathematics using English/ Urdu/regional
language as medium of instruction.
 provide logical and applicable recommendations for the policy makers to reach a definite answer about
the selection of medium of instruction at primary level.
 Explore the psychological evidence behind the difference in achievement between students learning
through different medium of instructions.
Significance of the Research
Education, curriculum and the medium of instruction have all been the subject of innumerable reports over
the last fifty years. Language of instruction has been an issue of debate for educationist and policy makers since the
1st educational policy of Pakistan. This study will be of significant importance in deciding the fate of 1817580
primary school children (World Bank Report, 2010) since the policy of 2009 will be implemented in 2014 and will
have its influence on these children if not properly amended.
The study will be of great significance to policy makers and educationist as it will provide them with such insight
that will help them in reaching a decision about language of instruction. Moreover it will also give such
recommendation which will help them make a wise decision regarding instructional language at primary level in
future.
Literary Review
Language is a symbol of identity, nationhood as well as power. That is why it has always been a difficult
task for every government to make language planning. Through language planning a government can manipulate the
linguistic situation in in a particular direction. Language used in academics is an important part of this planning. But
if the government tries to impose a particular language by force, it may lead to failure. This is especially the case in
a multilingual country like Pakistan. There are almost 72 different languages spoken in Pakistan. Major of these
languages are Urdu, English, Pashto, Punjabi, Sindi, Balochi and saraiki.
The following table shows how Pakistan’s language in education policy since independence. There has
always been confusion among the use of English and Urdu and regional languages in academics, especially between
Urdu and English language. It has been argued that this Urdu + English policy contributes to a sense of cultural
anomie experienced by many people in contemporary Pakistan.
Table 1: Medium of Instruction and Policies Implementations in Pakistan
Year
Pre1947
1947
Event
Colonial rule
1959
Shareef
Commission
1973
New Constitution
1977
Coup by Zia-ulHaq
1989
Benazir Bhutto
elected
New
education
policy
Coup by Pervez
Musharraf
White Paper
1998
1999
2007
2009
Independence
National
Education Policy
Policy
Urdu medium for masses, English
medium for elite
Urdu declared to be national
language
Primary and secondary
education in Urdu, higher
education in English
English to be replaced by Urdu within
15 years; provinces free to develop
their own language policies
Islamisation and Urduisation
English to be taught from Year 1
No statement regarding language policy
English to be taught from Year 1
‘where teachers are available’
English to be taught from Year 1;
mathematics and science to be taught
through English from Year 6
Science and mathematics to be
taught through English in Years 4 and
5; all science and
mathematics to be taught
through English from 2014
Implementation
As Policy
Urdu medium
English
medium for elite
No change
for
masses,
No change
English taught from Year 4;
schools begin to prepare for
Complete Urduisation of exams
by 1989; private English
medium schools begin to grow
Little effective change
Private English medium schools
flourish
Little effective change
Little effective change; in
Punjab science taught through
English from Year 10.
Punjab declares science to be
taught through English starting
in
Year 4 from April 2009
The current National Education Policy 2009 discusses medium of instruction in primary schools as a main
issue under the following categories.
 English as medium of instruction


Urdu as medium of instruction
Regional languages as medium of instruction
English as medium of instruction
According to the British Council Annual Report (2010) on English language in Pakistan, a child in a
government Urdu medium school will need a further 1.5 years to achieve what a child in Year 3 in a private nonelite English medium school has achieved in mathematics, whilst the government school pupil needs a further 2.5
years to achieve what a Year 3 pupil in a private non-elite school can do in English. Currently, the government
appears committed to moving towards all education being in English, a move that is unlikely to be possible given
the parlous state of our teacher cohort.
Urdu as medium of instruction
Since Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, its importance cannot be ignored in academics. The
education policy 2009 gives the status of language of instruction to Urdu language at primary level.
Regional languages as medium of instruction
It’s a child’s right to have initial level education in his mother tongue. Research has proved that a child
learns more easily in his mother tongue rather than a foreign language. It is considered to be an important
component of quality education, particularly in the early years. Keeping this view in mind the education policy 2009
also adds that the provinces will be allowed to use mother tongue as language of instruction at primary level.
Table 2: Pakistan’s Linguistic Picture
Languages
Urdu(official language)
Punjabi
Sindhi
Others(Pushto,Saraiki,Balochi and Brauhi)
% of the population
9%(speaks as first language)
65%
11%
24%
Table 3: Educational Institutions by Medium of Instruction in Pakistan
TYPE
Public
Private
Total
Boys
Girls
Mixed
Total
Boys
Girls
Mixed
Total
Boys
Girls
Mixed
Total
#
of
Institutions
50265
41878
59601
151744
6597
7602
61847
76047
57868
48475
121448
227791
Medium of Instruction %
Urdu
English
32.2
1.2
30.6
1.4
48
1.6
68.3
1.4
63.7
10.7
44.4
1.4
58
32.1
57..2
28.4
77.3
2.9
78.3
2.6
53.1
17.1
64.6
10.4
Sindhi
7.5
6.7
43.4
22.4
2.6
1.3
1.7
1.8
6.7
9.3
22.2
15.5
Others
9.1
11.3
7
7.9
23
52
7.7
12.7
13.2
9.8
7.6
9.5
Medium of Instruction at Primary Level
There exist many arguments in favour of mother tongue as medium of instruction. Teaching a child in the
language it speaks at home brings parents closer to the education process and allows them a participation in their
child's education that is impossible if the language the child is taught in is 'foreign' – be it English, Urdu or any
other. Children learn more quickly and easily in their mother-tongue because there are no barriers to comprehension,
and in our deeply schismatic society all communities can feel equally respected if their children are educated in their
native language.
On the other hand there are many arguments in favour of making English language as medium of
instruction at primary level. English is a lingua franca and the only way to get a white colour job. Moreover it has
been linguistically proved that languages are learnt more easily at an earlier stage than at a later stage.
The following three policy statements taken together raise a number of questions in Pakistan:



Despite the statement that any language can be used in Classes I to V it is also stated that English must be
used for teaching science and mathematics in Classes IV and V.
Urdu and regional languages can be used for teaching science and mathematics between 2009 and 2014.
From 2014 English must be used for teaching science and mathematics.
So what should be the language or languages of instruction. Urdu, the national language and the urban second
language or Punjabi, the language of 44.15 % Pakistanis Or Sindhi, the language of 14.10 % people and a language
used in the education system, media, administration and judiciary in Sindh or Pashto, a very important language
spoken by 15.42 % people and also used in Afghanistan. These are important questions which can only be answered
in the light of our values. That is why those with different values will have different answers.
The government is trying to bridge the gap between the performance of English medium and Urdu medium
schools by introducing English as medium of instruction but we ignore the facts that over 50 percent of Pakistani
youth do not complete the first eight years of basic education: many drop out due to a combination of the factors
below;
* Many schools are without proper — even any — infrastructure;
* Children do better at school when they come to school with a full tummy;
* Class sizes are often far too large with multiple grades in one class;
So the disparity between private and government schools is much more complex than merely ensuring a
common curriculum and medium of instruction. Should a decision about language policy be made without first
understanding the road to effective literacy and what makes children succeed or fail in school?
Research Methodology
The current study essentially will be descriptive in nature. The strength of population and need to
generalize the research findings support survey method. Data will be collected keeping in view various points
regarding medium of instruction in the national education policy 2009. The other factors of research methodology
will be as under.
Population
As the focus of the investigation will be the achievements of primary school students in mathematics
through English, Urdu and regional languages, the population will contain all the teachers male/female who are
teaching mathematics (of both private and public sector schools) to grade V students in Pakistan. The population
will include seasoned psycho-linguists both indigenous and foreign.
Sample
The study will seek to select such accessible sample that will be the representative of all the population.
Convenient sampling technique will be used to select the sample from various districts of all the provinces. In order
to get true representative sample two districts from each province and one district from each region will be selected.
11 districts from all over the country will be selected as sample for data collection. District-wise stratified random
sampling technique will be made of schools within each area (one mathematics teacher from each school) in order to
reach the number of study sample for each district which are given in the following tables.
Table 4: Sample of the study
S. #
Province/regions
Districts
No.of Schools
1
Punjab
120
2
3
Sindh
KPK
80
80
180
180
4
5
Baluchistan
FANA
Lahore, Shaikhupura,
Multan
Karachi, Sukhar
Peshawar,
Abbotabad
Quetta, Sibi
Gilgit Baltistan
No.of mathematic
teachers
420
40
30
140
130
6
AJK
Muzaffarbad
10
10
7
Total
ICT
Islamabad
40
1100
40
1100
200 learned educational authorities and psycholinguists will be selected as per convenient sampling from different
parts of Pakistan as well as from abroad.
Table 5: Total numbers of Educationists and Psycho-lingusitcs
S. #
From Pakistan
Foreign
Total
Educationists
90
10
100
Psycho-linguistics
90
10
200
Research Tool
Following two types of research tools will be used to collect the data.

Questionnaire

Interview
The main research instrument for the study will be a questionnaire for teachers which will be designed for
data collection. It will be developed by the researcher after a profound review of related literature. It will be
prepared on five-point Likert scale. The items of questionnaire will be based upon important aspects of
teaching/learning challenges faced by the teachers in primary schools of the country.
Two hundred follow up interviews will be conducted from the respondents i.e. educationists and psycholinguists, who will show their willingness for interview. Focus of the interviews will be to explore the effects of
different languages as medium of instructions on the learners’ achievements at primary level.
Validity & Reliability
The modern concept of validity goes beyond the traditional definition of the validity. According to
Fraenkel & Wallen (2007) validity refers to the appropriateness, correctness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of the
specific inferences which the researcher(s) made on the bases of collected data. Content–related evidence of validity
i.e. content, format, appropriateness and comprehensiveness of the instrument as well as construct-related evidence
of the instrument validity i.e. clarity of research objectives and clear description of research questions will be
ensured with consulting five senior educationists and researchers separately.
Instruments of the study will be tested and finalized in the light of the feedback received as a result of pilot
testing. Pilot testing will be conducted in district Rawalpindi. Necessary changes will be incorporated in the research
instruments. To ensure the validity and reliability of the instruments, the questionnaires will be administered to one
hundred teachers of primary level and spilt-half procedure will be used to calculate reliability of the instrument. It
will also be found out by using SPSS software.
Data Collection
The researcher will personally visit the sample institutions and get the questionnaires filled from the target
sample. It will be tried that maximum numbers of respondents would provide responses. Interviews will be
conducted (face to face or through video conference calls whichever will be feasible) from those educationists and
as well as from psycho-linguists who will show their willingness for interviews.
Data Analysis
Data gathered through research instruments will be recorded in two SPSS files. In first phase of the data
analysis, reliability of the data will be manipulated. Reliability of the tool is defined with the stability, consistency
and accuracy of the acquired results. Co-efficient of equivalence and co-efficient of internal consistency will be
calculated using SPSS software. In the study, one way ANOVA will be used to estimate the variance among the
students’ achievements. Percentages and mean scores of the scales, its subsections and other items of questionnaires
will lead to draw the research findings.
Qualitative data collected through interviews will be analyzed using content analysis approach. Profound
study of the interview manuscripts will lead to find out emerging themes in the data. The themes will be categorized
in next step of the content analysis and, finally, the comprehension of the professional challenges of teacher
education graduates will be sought.
Research Contribution
The foreseeable contributions of this research are:
Academic
It is clear that there is a contribution to be made when researching the effects of different languages used as
medium of instruction that is Urdu (national language), English (international language) and regional languages .
Since 1953, UNESCO has supported children’s right to learn through mother tongue, and advocated maintenance of
linguistic and cultural diversity through language-in-education policies (UNESCO, 1953: 2003). For a non-linguistic
subject such as mathematics at primary level decision regarding selection of a medium of instruction is to be made
after carful considerations. While intention is good for use of English as medium of instruction, its impact may be
negative. According to Rehman (2009) education is to impart knowledge and information that encourages critical
thinking. If it is so then the why should we impose a foreign language upon young learners. This research will help
policy makers reach a conclusion regarding the selection of medium of instruction for non-linguistic subjects at
primary level
.
Practical Contributions of Research
The practical contributions will include:
• Providing a framework for language of instruction to be used.
• Further research into the area of language of instruction in different languages that is Urdu, English and regional
languages.
• Recommendations into language and educational planning at primary level.
• Understanding the dynamics of mother tongue as medium of instruction.
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