Abstract
This chapter discusses some of the research perspectives–alongside issues of national language policies—and considers the need of English language ability for educational and economic goals; the impact of the increasing use of English in the region on culture identity and other languages; current English education policies and national curriculums and teacher education, pedagogies, and evaluation. While English has become a major element in the spread of political, social and educational norms as well as nurturing economic globalization, giving impetus for the study of English throughout the MENA region, this has also led to lessening of the importance of other foreign languages, such as French due to the belief in the value of English as the international language. There is also some resistance from conservative parties who fear that English education may erode traditional culture and religion. Moreover, the allocation of resources for the study of English is uneven among the various countries- partly due to the unequal economic situations and the general state of education in each country.
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Kirkpatrick, R., Barnawi, O.Z. (2017). Introduction: English Language Education Policy in MENA. In: Kirkpatrick, R. (eds) English Language Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa. Language Policy, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46778-8_1
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