Abstract

The Qatari college EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom is revisited in the author’s second action research study conducted in the small Arabian Gulf country. The literature review allowed the author to gather themes that lead to this groundbreaking inquiry of the residual effects resulting from educational language reforms in the country. Due to the beginning stages of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Qatar, to the author’s knowledge, no such research has taken place until now. The qualitative data collection method involved 11 focus group participants from the researcher’s advanced-intermediate IEP (Intensive English Program) class that underwent a semi-structured interview. Results determine that, if given the choice, students would rather receive instruction in the Arabic medium instead of English to pursue undergraduate studies. The author offers additional research questions and recommendations in understanding the student perspective and why the EMI reforms have not been successful.

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