Bibliography

Shahreena, Ahmad, S., & Shahabullah. (2021). Challenges Encountered by English Teachers at the
Elementary School Level in Pakistan: An Investigative Study of Government and Private Schools.
International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 15(3), 1314-1334.

A Journal Article Critique

“Challenges Encountered by English Teachers at the Elementary School Level in Pakistan: An

Investigative Study of Government and Private Schools” by Shahreena, Ahmad, & Shahabullah (2021)
aims to identify and analyze the numerous barriers faced by English teachers in both public and private
schools at the elementary level in Pakistan. Despite the study's noteworthy findings that highlight
numerous issues pertaining to educators, learners, and administration that impede the effective learning
and teaching of English, there are limitations about research methodology, research questions, research
ethics, generalizability of results, and discussions.

The study conducted by Shahreena, Ahmad, and Shahabullah (2021) examined the challenges faced by
English teachers using a total of 24 teachers (male and female). Of these teachers, 12 were selected
from four government elementary schools and the remaining 12 from four private elementary schools
in Pirmahal, district Toba-Tek-Sing, Pakistan. To gather information, the researchers conducted
interviews and questionnaires with English language instructors at public and private educational
institutions.

The study has a lot of clear advantages. Research on the subject is necessary because it is relevant and
significant—the difficulties experienced by English teachers in Pakistan, especially those teaching at
the primary school level. A logical flow from the introduction to the literature review, study methods,
research findings, and conclusion characterizes the text's well-organized structure. The introduction
also gives a thorough overview of the background information on the value of English in Pakistan and
the difficulties associated with teaching it. The literature review is thorough as well, covering pertinent
studies on classroom management, teacher preparation, and English instruction in multilingual settings.
In addition, the study's course is determined by the precise and targeted research questions.

However, there are also several significant flaws in the study. Its ambiguous methodology is its
primary shortcoming. While questionnaires and interviews are mentioned as data collecting instruments
in the methodology section, the researcher has chosen to use a quantitative research approach for this
study. In addition, open-ended and unstructured questions were included in the questionnaires and
interviews. It appears to be qualitative. Moreover, it is absent of information regarding the precise
queries posed or the methods employed for data analysis. Additionally, the representation and sample
size may be important. The limited number of participants (24), along with the selection of only four
schools per type (private and government) in a single district, may restrict the generalizability of the
findings and may not adequately represent the experiences of all English teachers in the region. To
improve generalizability, the researchers may include more instructors and schools from a larger
geographic area and clarify the statistical procedures and software tools they intend to use for data
analysis.

The absence of ethical considerations is the second weak aspect. The researchers visited the chosen
government and private schools with permission from the appropriate school administrators in order to
conduct interviews, but no mention is made of getting participants' informed consent or guaranteeing
anonymity or confidentiality. The informed consent, anonymity, and confidentiality policies should be
made explicit by the researchers.

Third, there appears to have been a lack of attention for the second question paid by the researchers to
the significant differences in pedagogical approaches used by English language instructors in
government and private primary schools. This question is not immediately addressed by the results
obtained. It does not clearly compare the various pedagogical techniques even if it describes some of
the particular difficulties that each sector faces (such as the absence of a punishment policy in
government schools and parental involvement in private schools). To compare and contrast the
educational strategies employed in public and private schools, the researchers ought to include a special
section on this topic.

Finally, there are no thoughtful discussions or recommendations offered by the researchers. Although
the report lists a number of issues, it discusses solutions to the problems very briefly and makes few
recommendations for how to solve them. To address the issues raised and enhance English language
instruction at the primary school level, the researchers should provide practical answers or suggestions
based on their results.

Overall, despite a few errors, the paper represents a noteworthy investigation into the difficulties
encountered by elementary school English teachers in both public and private institutions. The
researchers ought to closely scrutinise the issues and provide tangible answers in order to improve the
study.