Study On The Performance Of Students And Language Of Instruction In Moroccan Higher Education System:Case Study Of Science Majored Undergraduates

Morocco is a country with a long history of invasive colonization due to its geographical location.As a result,its educational system was adapted to meet the standards of its latest French colonizer.Therefore,the French language gained significant power over the educational system,unlike other languages,such as Arabic and Amazigh that had already existed in the country Over the years,the social and political movements of Arabic and Amazigh affiliations strived to bring back tangible value to their language as a response to this colonization.In today's reality,the language of instruction in Morocco mirrors the history of struggle the country has gone through.Currently,Arabic,as a language of instruction,is used from grades one through to the end of high school in all core subjects(excluding language subjects)while French is used in all higher education majors(with the exception of a few social subjects).This inconsistency is the basis of this research paper as "The Study on the Impact of Language of Instruction on Science Major Students in Moroccan Higher Education." This research is an investigation that delves into understanding the impact of the inconsistencies among the languages of instruction upon student performance and their learning environment through a qualitative methodology,focusing primarily upon students pursuing studies in scientific subject majors.Accordingly,this research has 16 semi-structured interviews from people that have been sampled in purposive way(deliberately)to share their personal experiences regarding the impact of instructional language in education.After the data analysis,the findings demonstrate a substantially consistent negative impact on the process of student learning and the respective learning environment.More specifically,the following four major conclusions were made strongly evident:1)Students need to strike a balance between understanding both the subjects being taught and the language of instruction;2)Students struggle to pursue an education in a variety of subjects(often compromising their strengths and passions)due to an unfamiliar language of instruction;3)Students lack the self-confidence and the self-esteem,amongst their peers,that would enable them to master the instructional language;4)Finally,the continuity of learning,in a classroom,is interrupted by the need for additional academic supports including translation and basic language comprehension.This is a significant and growing problem that must be challenged and changed through a systemic government and educational reform.Based on the findings from this research,there are three major paths moving forward in reconciling this problematic gap in the system.The first is offering an inclusive,multilingual path of study in Arabic and French and English at the college and university level institutions;the second is unifying the language of instruction,throughout all levels of education,through selecting the most appropriate language that culturally accommodates the Moroccan population;and the third is to offer academic French language assistance supports throughout the duration of studies.The first suggestion,though it is more equitable and accessible to a wider range of students,it would be a greater task since it would require an enormous amount of social and economic resources to complete the reformation process.Also,although the second suggestion culturally appropriate,for most Moroccans in the public school system,it cannot be done immediately and it will create inequal opportunities for the students(a disadvantage in the performance towards students who have not mastered Arabic compared to those who have)as well as hinder the access to advanced studies and resources,in the sciences,due to the deficiencies that the Arabic language has in terms of accessible resources and lack of universal terminology(in the Arabic Academia).Finally,the third option is the most realistically applicable(given the situation of the language of instruction remaining unchanged for year)which can be done by offering academic support to students,provided by Moroccan universities,as the most affordable and immediate option...