Language Attitudes and Multilingual Realities in Algerian Higher Education: Pedagogical Practices and Policy Reflections

Abstract

Algeria's multilingual campus bears witness to a striated history of globalization, Arabization, and colonialism, where Modern Standard Arabic, French, and English follow each other in turn in the world of academics as well as society. On the basis of recent empirical studies and theoretical contributions (Belmihoub, 2018; Bouhmama & Dendane, 2018; Maraf, 2024; Karabenick & Noda, 2004; Chakrani, 2017), this article explores how the attitudes of Algerian university teachers and students towards language influence teaching practices and equitable instruction. Studies report a systematic tension between the institutional language policy and students' social linguistic experiences, e.g., a lack of consistency in the languages used at various levels of education, politicization of language use, and the omission of practices of accommodation such as translanguaging. Though students and teachers prefer multilingualism and communicative teaching approaches, however, institutional supportlessness and inflexibility of policy typically do not allow their effective implementation. The study recommends reflective teacher training, translanguaging-focused curricula, and bridging policy connecting official multilingualism with classroom practices. These efforts form the core of constructing language equity and pedagogical inclusion in Algerian higher education.