English and science : the twain shall meet

Abstract

Even though Malta is a bilingual nation it does not follow that everyone is proficient in both languages. The majority of the population speak Maltese at home and are not as proficient in the English language. The lack of proficiency in English is tied to students’ attainment in Science subjects. According to Maltese educational policies, teachers are responsible to teach the subject and also the language needed for attainment to take place and they are bound by policies to teach the subject in the language that it is assessed in. However, the situation in the classroom is far from similar to what is stated in policies. This study has surveyed teachers of science to determine the language used in the classroom and to explore their views willingness to help their students with the language used for assessment. It was found that the majority of the teachers are not willing to do language work with their students thereby resulting in a dissonance with policy.