University of Chitral Journal of Linguistics & Literature

Cultivating Intercultural Attitudes among EIL learners: A Case Study of Undergraduates

Muhammad Waqar Ali, Muhammad Iqbal, Sareer Badshah — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Teaching of English as an international language (EIL) necessitates promoting intercultural communicative competence (ICC) to enable the individual to survive and progress in multicultural societies. It thereby requires them to develop intercultural attitudes—one of the essential components of ICC. The current paper strives to fathom their intercultural attitudes before and after the intervention, and to measure the impact of the treatment on their intercultural attitudes. Based on the material designed for promoting intercultural competence, a semester-long course was carried out as the intervention. Unlike the control group, the treatment group was exposed to the treatment. A self-report survey was administered to both groups before and after the treatment. Though both groups reported improvement in their attitudes, the mean differences and effect size values for the cumulative scale and subscales indicate a substantial difference between the attitudes of the two groups; it thereby may be inferred that the treatment proved to be effective in cultivating intercultural attitudes. Furthermore, female participants slightly surpassed the male participants in certain attitudes, but the difference infinitesimal.

Keywords: attitude measurement scale (AMS), curiosity, empathy, tolerance, ethnorelativity,respect

Analyzing Errors in Formative Assessment: The Case of Pakistani ESL Undergraduates

Asma Khan, Noormah Babar, Mahwish Farooq — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The current study endeavors to probe into the possible intricacies of English language errors committed by the undergraduate students after assessing their academic assignments and compositions. In Pakistan, English is not the native language but is mandated as a compulsory subject within educational institutions. Therefore, ESL learners often engender linguistic errors. The primary objective of this scholarly investigation was to elucidate prevalent linguistic errors inherent in undergraduate students’ academic assignment. Therefore, the research framework of Error Analysis, pioneered by Corder (1979), was embraced. The scope of this research was only confined to the public sector universities. The researchers meticulously amassed and scrutinized all undergraduate students' assignments to quantify the frequency of errors therein. Consequently, a gamut of eight distinct error categories was identified, among these errors, punctuation and capitalization errors were registered with the highest incidence. Evidently, this study also uncovered a dearth of cognizance for the accurate use of grammatical rules. This study can serve as a pivotal resource for the learners, educators, and researchers to the linguistic errors as per the prowess of undergraduates in Pakistan. Furthermore, this work furnished prescriptive recommendations for both ESL learners and teachers for ameliorating language errors.

Keywords: Error Analysis, academic assessments, grammatical rules, formative assessment

Deleuze’s Transcendental Empiricism and Iqbal’s Philosophy of Khudi: An Analysis of Our Lady of Alice Bhatti

Huma Saeed, Huma Ahmad — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The decline of religion and the rise of secularism have led modern humans to adopt a materialistic perspective, resulting in a society marked by alienation, distrust, confusion, and anxiety. However, this narrow approach fails to capture the full richness of human experience, encompassing physical and spiritual dimensions. Literary studies have historically focused on uncovering hidden meanings and truths. However, an essential aspect of modern thought is the division between real and ideal, reason and judgment, and Spirit or Mind. To better understand the evolution of the self and human experience, French theorist Gilles Deleuze's concept of transcendental empiricism and South Asian Muslim philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal's philosophy of Khudi offer valuable insights. Examining Muhammad Hanif's novel Our Lady of Alice Bhatti (2011) through the lens of Deleuze's theory of desire and desiring-production, as well as Iqbal's philosophy of Khudi, can shed light on the role of desire in shaping the characters, classes, and interest within the novel.

Moreover, the research explores how ego-sustaining acts and an attitude of faith among the novel's characters can help individuals achieve a sense of dignity and self-respect, regardless of race or ethnicity. This study aims to promote a more holistic understanding of the human experience by sparking scholarly debates on creating a balanced and dignified lifestyle.

Keywords: self, ego, action, experience, Deleuze, Iqbal