English Development in Moroccan Higher Education
Challenges and Prospects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25749/sis.43776Keywords:
english, natural evolution, linguistic conspiracy, higher education, post-colonialismAbstract
Moroccan higher education has witnessed various changes during the last decade. The shift from Licence-Master-Doctorat (LMD) to the Bachelor system through a more technical reform was not without effects on reshaping the linguistic situation and paving the way for English language to flourish at university. Using the lens of post-colonial theory and sociolinguistics, this empirical research relied on a mixed approach that combines quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the perceptions of students and professors on the status of English and the various macro and micro factors intervening with its development in Moroccan higher education. It also examines how English spread in education reshapes the linguistic behaviours and identities of Moroccan students and professors. The implications drawn from this study revealed that strong internal socio-political factors led to the increasing positive tendency to adopt English in higher education and use it as a promising language for a better future career.
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