What influences students in Bangladesh to use English: a tertiary level study

Abstract

Due to the global spread of English, the use of the language is no longer confined to its native speakers but to an overwhelming majority of non-native speakers. In Bangladesh, people use English in different spheres of life, which is increasing their interest in learning English. The researcher has observed that the tertiary level students use English for various functional needs. In a developing country like Bangladesh, people consider academic results and a successful career to measure an individual’s success that demand for English proficiency. Therefore, achieving English proficiency has become a need for the students. To conduct this research, the researcher has followed a qualitative method where she interviewed ten students from different universities to collect data with a question set. The researcher has collected data from ten tertiary level students to make a sociolinguistic profile of using the English language, recognizes students' points of view in this regard, and examines learning English. This study's findings show different dimensions of using English and English functions in academia, career, personal, and social life. Students possess multiple points of view towards English; therefore, the study examines students' attitudes to English learning.