Language Practices of English Language Teachers at Secondary Level: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Schools in Lahore, Pakistan

The purpose of this study was to explore and compare the English language teaching practices and role of teachers at public and private sector schools in Lahore – Pakistan. The study employed qualitative research method to find the ELT practices in schools. By employing Purposive Sampling Technique, the data was collected from 30 English language teachers of private as well as public sector schools. 15 teachers each from public and private schools were interviewed while teaching practices of teachers at public and private schools were observed. Thematic analysis of the collected data revealed substantial variation in the teaching practices of public and private sector school teachers in terms of their competency, teaching practices and techniques. Teachers of public schools were practicing the traditional teaching methods; they were not utilizing their linguistic competency; they were not concerned about diverse learning styles as compared to teachers of the private sector schools, which have been the main reasons for poor English spoken skills of students of public sector schools. The findings suggest that the Punjab Education system should bring uniformity in the curriculum and teaching practices of both public and private schools.