Between French-medium Teaching and English-Medium Research

Abstract

This exploratory pilot study examines Moroccan university professors’ attitudes toward English within a higher education system characterized by persistent French medium instruction and the accelerating dominance of English in research and publication. Drawing on survey data from 24 professors across multiple disciplines, the study analyzes language practices in teaching, research, conference participation, and publication, alongside perceptions of English’s importance for career advancement and international collaboration. The findings reveal a stratified multilingual regime in which French retains institutional primacy in teaching (54.2% of respondents) while English dominates research (58.3% exclusive use, 79.1% including bilingual practices) and publication (62.5%). Professors overwhelmingly rate English as extremely or very important for career advancement (91.7%) and international collaboration (95.8%), yet 83.3% express positive attitudes toward English despite limited institutional support for language development. The study argues that Moroccan higher education operates through a functional language hierarchy rather than a simple transition from French to English. English increasingly functions as academic capital, a resource convertible into publication, visibility, collaboration, and professional mobility, while French persists as the language of pedagogical continuity. This divided regime imposes navigational burdens on faculty, reproduces linguistic gatekeeping, and raises urgent questions about equity, preparedness, and institutional reform. The paper contributes to debates on Englishization, academic multilingualism, and language policy in postcolonial higher education by centering professors’ perspectives on a contradiction they inhabit daily.