A LINGUISTIC AND TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF CLASSROOM ENGLISH INTERACTION AT SIRTE UNIVERSITY IN LIBYA

As English spreads and becomes a dominant language of power in global commerce, science, and technology, the need to teach and learn through it has also grown. It is not surprising that the aim of most education curriculum around the world, including the Arabic governments, has been developed to suit the curriculum of teaching and learning English inside their countries. Libya is one of the Arab countries where the government has invested heavily in the English language teaching curriculum, which is geared towards improving the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) in schools and universities. The aim of this emphasis on the teaching and learning of English is to enable Libya to catch up in the development of its economy and to promote international exchange. However, in spite of the government’s efforts towards improving English language learning, there have been claims from various quarters in the education field that students at all education levels are not performing successfully in the language, with regard to literacy and the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Very few studies have been done so far on teaching English in Arabic countries in Africa and classroom interactions in the Arabic social context, especially at the university level. Hence, this study was undertaken using a qualitative research design, and the data was collected through classroom observation and a questionnaire issued to the lecturers in Sirte University in Sirte, Libya. Recommendations and suggestions are offered, based on the findings of this research.