Bourdieusian Approach to ELT among Pashtun Learners: A study of the field and capital among Pashtun learners in Mardan (Pakistan)

Abstract

The study explores the reflections of English language teachers who taught
English as TESOL (Teaching of English to the Speakers of Other
Languages). The pedagogical experiences of such teachers are significant
in understanding how the home (background) experiences of the students
determine the pedagogical considerations in the classroom. The study used
the Bourdieusian framework for the observation and interview-based data.
The study explored the linguistic, professional, social and cultural capital
of English language in the education field. It was identified that English
language has a high linguistic capital as compared to Pashto, its value in
the profession was the highest as compared to Pashto and Urdu, while in
culture (especially in dress) it remained a low valued commodity for
exchange in the classroom, standing far below Pashto language. The study,
therefore, established that any resource allocation needs to be informed by
the Bourdieusian need analysis, especially the study of the local
(marketplace) in contrast to the national.