The use of English as a global lingua franca influences the adoption of English-medium instruction (EMI) in non-native English-speaking countries such as Nepal. However, attraction towards EMI may threaten linguistic heterogeneity and cultural maintenance. This study dives into the Indigenous parents’ motivations for choosing EMI, focusing on socioeconomic factors and their views regarding the impact of EMI on the preservation of their mother tongue. This study involved a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with Indigenous parents whose children attend EMI schools. The study reveals parents’ concerns about EMI as they compared the potential socioeconomic gains against the need to protect their cultural heritage. The study points out that the Indigenous parents’ preference for EMI revolves around international migration, quality education, and socioeconomic mobility, all of which may erode Indigenous languages and exacerbate inequalities. Policy should ensure that the aspirations of Indigenous people are fulfilled without the cost of their language and culture, implementing multilingual approaches.
Sandip Basyal, Nabaraj Neupane· English Language Teaching Pe...· 0 citations
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into English language learning marks a significant pedagogical shift, yet its implications for secondary-level learners in resource-constrained contexts remain underexplored. This study examines how secondary students in semi-urban Nepal perceive AI tools—ChatGPT, Google Translate, Deep Seek, and Gemini—through the lens of Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), asking whether AI functions as a scaffold that enhances linguistic competence or a crutch that erodes autonomy. Using a phenomenological design, data were collected from twenty-three purposively selected students through semi-structured interviews, analyzed via Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Findings reveal a dual role: AI extended students' capacities within the ZPD through instant feedback, corrective support, and confidence-building, yet simultaneously fostered dependency, superficial engagement, and academic dishonesty when used without guidance. Students navigated this tension by critically evaluating AI outputs, adapting them to local context, and relying on teacher mediation to ensure ethical use. Persistent infrastructural inequality further constrained equitable engagement across participants. The study underscores teachers' indispensable mediating role in transforming AI from a shortcut into a genuine scaffold, and calls for structured AI literacy, teacher training, and equity-oriented policy to support responsible integration in under-resourced English language classrooms.
Mahadev Devkota, Nabaraj Neupane· Eureka: Journal of Education...· 0 citations
