L1 and Culturally Relevant Material for Teaching and Learning English

Theory and evidence support pedagogies that consider the linguistic and cultural diversity of learners in English-medium schools. This study examines the current instructional practices in a Pakistani expatriate non-elitist English-medium school in Oman. It explores the role that first language and culturally relevant material can play in the learning of English in multicultural/multilingual contexts. The study argues that the instructional practices are traditional, routine, less interactive, examination orientated, and teacher centered. The text material in use is a process course, but delivered as a product syllabus. The learners are reduced to passive receptors of knowledge and they rely on rote-memorization. The results conclude that the instructional practices affect the students’ English learning outcomes. The participants’ reflective accounts suggest that the intervention helped the students to learn English and understand subject contents taught in English. The study concludes that pedagogies and practices which cater the needs of diverse learners are practical and helpful for schools which are functioning in multicultural environments.