Abstract
English enjoys the status of a second language (L2) owing to the colonial past and the socioeconomic benefits linked with the instrumental use of the language under globalization. The language
is prescribed as compulsory alongside Urdu in the national curriculum right through primary to tertiary
education. Nevertheless, the learning outcomes are not synchronous with the attention language receives in
education or society. In the past two decades, the social turn in second language acquisition and learning calls
to investigate the language learning process in its situated context and the learner-centered approach emphasizes detailed systematic analysis of the learner’s needs and characteristics. Consequently, research focused on
the psychological traits of the learners including anxiety, motivation, attitude, learning strategies, individual differences, etc. However, there is a gap in understanding the complex relationship of learners and their
learning context, especially the learners’ practices invested in the L2 learning process. This paper attempts
to explore the English language learners’ investment in the learning process. The paper also attempts to
identify the learner profile traits and language ideologies which are instrumental in determining the increase
or decrease in learners’ language learning investment. A validated survey questionnaire was administered
to a sample (N=316, Males=185 and Females=131) comprising undergraduate students from 28 disciplines
at a public university in Karachi. Descriptive analysis and one-way ANOVA were carried out using IBM
SPSS 22 version. The results revealed a moderate level of investment learners made for English language
learning, invested primarily on reading newspapers, sending text messages in English, learning vocabulary,
and watching movies. The study also indicated a significant difference in the scores of learners’ investment
and Medium of Instruction (MOI) from primary to college level. Moreover, the study endorses the ritualized
practices for alleviating English language learning necessitates to re-equip the teaching-learning process and
adopt a pluralistic approach for planning and implementing language policy in the context.
Shazia Mushtaque, Rahila Huma Anwar, Sajida Zaki. (2022) Exploring Pakistani ESL Learners’ Investment Practices in learning the English Language, Journal of Education & Social Sciences, volume 10, issue 1.
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