Mother Tongue Medium of Instruction in Morocco: Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: This study addresses a controversial issue in the Moroccan language-in-education policy, namely the use of mother tongues as media of instruction. Currently, Arabic and French are the two media of instruction in Moroccan public schools and universities. There is strong opposition from the government to the implementation of mother tongues, Amazigh and Moroccan Darija, in the school curriculum due to their low status and lack of prestige compared to Arabic and French. However, being taught in languages that children have to learn from scratch can be cognitively demanding and might well be one of the major reasons behind the increasing number of school dropouts and low levels of academic achievements in Morocco. This study explores the potential implementation of Amazigh and Moroccan Darija as media of instruction in Moroccan primary schools in order to maximize student learning by investigating students’ and teachers’ perceptions. Results suggest that while teachers and students alike agree that mother tongues can facilitate learning, mother tongues are less likely to be adopted as official media of instruction due to economic and socio-political factors. The study concludes with a discussion of strategies that will likely result in the implementation of an effective mother tongue medium of instruction policy in Morocco.
Authors: Hassan Belhiah, Mohamed Lamallam
Institutions: Mohammed V University, Georgetown University
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3016096083