English as a Career Subject: Analysis of Nepalese Students’ Expectations, Achievements and Reflections

Abstract

The present study explores the novice Master's degree pass-outs' initial expectations for learning English as a career subject (ECS), their achievements from learning it and their reflections on the achievements. Ten novice Master's pass-outs' (NMPOs') narrative biographical stories were obtained by applying a questionnaire via the e-mail. The data obtained in the form of the NMPOs' stories were analyzed using the content analysis technique. It was found that the mismatches between the initial expectations and the final achievements outnumbered the links between them. The expectations the NMPOs have achieved are mostly of the integrative kind and those they have not are of the instrumental kind  the latter being an area of their dissatisfactions. Drawing from the results, a future direction suggested to the concerned authority is that ECS should be considered in the light of education as an investment for life.