EFL Challenges Encountered by Libyan Postgraduates: A Case Study of Elmergib, Zliten and Misurata Language Centers

Abstract

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to postgraduate students in Libya presents sophisticated, field–specific challenges that hinder performance in such English-Medium Instruction (EMI). courses. A mixed methods approach was conducted at the language centers of Elmergib, Zliten and Misurata, Jan–May, 2025. The data collection methods were quantitative data from 50 postgraduates via questionnaires (Cronbach’s α = .872), qualitative insights from 15 teacher interviews and 10 classroom observations. The descriptive statistics elaborate advanced–academic language as the fundamental challenge (M= 4.20, SD = 0.82, 72% reporting great difficulty), followed by English skills (M = 4.10, SD = 0.89). One–way ANOVA indicated statistically significant disparities in resource limitation perceptions across academic–disciplines, F (2,47) = 5.12, p = .009, η² = .18, with humanities students reporting substantially greater challenges (M = 4.38, SD = 0.78) compared to science (M= 3.75, SD = 0.85) and engineering peers (M = 3.62, SD = 0.90). Pearson correlations revealed a stable association between advanced language ability and academic English proficiency (r = .72, p < .001). Thematic analysis identified three crucial themes: (1) the absence of English for Humanities Purposes (EHP) educational materials, (2) insufficiencies in specialized disciplinary vocabulary, (3) deficient preliminary English proficiency assessment. Findings indicate the need to implement field-specific EHP curricula, set a minimum IELTS entry requirement of 6.0+, and establish digital labs with a 1:20 computer-to-student ratio across centers in Elmergib and Zliten. Modeled after Misurata’s EU-funded initiative (EU4Skills, 2023), this development will directly resolve current infrastructural bottlenecks, specifically the existing 1:50 ratios and 3 Mbps bandwidth limits.