English Writing and Social Stratification in Pakistan: Exploring the Role of SES on Students’ Writing

Abstract

English writing skills are important in English language teaching due to the practice of evaluating students’ academic performance in English writing both of other subjects’ content knowledge and of English language itself. However, students come to high schools with baggage of varying linguistics competencies due to differential exposure to English at home and schools. Elite class students are exposed to social and linguistic capitals both in family and educational institutions, while ordinary people lack the resources to provide such exposure to their children. How such differential upbringing affect their performance in English language proficiency including English writing skills has been less focused earlier. This study explores the role of socioeconomic statuses on students’ writing skills. Employing qualitative research methodology, this study elicited English writing samples of different text types from the Higher Secondary School (HSSC) level students. Along with writing tasks as sample, data were also collected through ten students’ narratives and focus group discussion of five teachers. Data were analyzed inductively through coding, categories and themes. The study found that socioeconomic factors such as social capital that is environment, cultural capitals like mother and father education, reading books, watching English movies and cartoons and school contribute to the writing skills of the students. The study calls for giving more importance to the English writing skills in the English instructions.