Barriers in English Language Acquisition Among Older Kurdish Employees in the Kurdistan Regional Government

Abstract

In this investigation, the problems experienced by older employees belonging to the Kurdish ethnic group in learning the English language within the framework of the public sector are discussed. In particular, the current research employs a questionnaire survey to examine the effect of age-related factors, the environment of the working place, and education on the development of language skills among a selected sample of 148 employees ranging in age from 42 to 60 years old employed in different divisions of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The results of the current study demonstrate that older employees encounter much more difficulties than their younger colleagues because of the negative impact of aging on memory and the lack of training opportunities provided at an organizational level. On the contrary, having higher education facilitates overcoming these barriers, and there is a significant correlation between the requirements in terms of English and employees' motivation (rs = 0.72, p < 0.001). As solutions to these problems, this research suggests the following strategies involving institution-based investments in adequate training programs, study periods, and differentiated instruction. In this way, the KRG will be able to enhance the level of English proficiency among its aging workforce and thereby overcome cognitive barriers and create a highly competent public sector.