Exploring Teachers’ and Students’ Attitudes towards the French-English Transition at the Computer Science Department in Ibn Khaldoun University

Abstract

The French-mediated content teaching and learning strategies and methodologies employed inthe Algerian higher education scientific institutions and faculties are undergoing significantchanges in light of the recent English-ization drive. These changes reflect a broader trendtowards the adoption of English as a medium of instruction, impacting both students and faculty members. Within this context, this study aims to investigate the potential transitionfrom French to English by examining the attitudes of instructors and students at the Department of Computer Science, Ibn Khaldoun University, Tiaret. Adopting an exploratory research design with a mixed-method approach, a questionnaire that was constructed on Brown‘s (1995) Language Curriculum Development model was administered to a purposefully selected sample of Computer Science students (N=25), and an interview was conducted with their teachers (N=3). The quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that in spite of their acknowledgment of the challenges that would hamper the Englis-sation process,approximately both students and their teachers showed positive attitudes towards the adoption of English as a medium of instruction. Precisely, half of the participants acknowledged thesignificance of English, with the majority suggesting its use as an instructional medium inother modules. Calling for a more smooth instructional transition from French to English, thethree interviewed instructors likewise concurred on the benefits of incorporating English as amedium of instruction.