scholarly journals Main Challenges of EMI at the UCLM: Teachers’ Perceptions on Language Proficiency, Training and Incentives

2021 ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Esther Nieto Moreno de Diezmas ◽  
Alicia Fernández Barrera
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
La Mancha ◽  
Training Plan ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
The University

English-medium instruction (EMI) has become commonplace in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Spain and in many other countries, being implemented as a strategy to increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of universities at the international level. The present article investigates the stances of lecturers involved in various internationalization programmes in regard to the challenges that EMI inception and implementation entails, such as language and content integration, English proficiency of teachers and students, teachers’ drives, teacher training needs and institutional support, among other issues. To gain a more comprehensive insight into the development of EMI, data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with three separate groups of lecturers: (i) EMI practitioners, (ii) lecturers interested in EMI and (iii) lecturers from the Department of Modern Languages, experts in second language acquisition (SLA) and bilingual education. The results showed that the implementation of EMI at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) is still in its infancy and there are several areas for improvement such as (i) the approval of a multilingual language policy that includes a specific and legally-binding protocol for lecturer recruitment and commitment in the programme, and (ii) the design of a more comprehensive teacher training plan offering accreditation to enter EMI and supporting effective implementation by means of in-service courses.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Thai Teachers of English Towards English Medium Instruction: A Case Study of a Local Primary School

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 13-21
Author(s):  
Tawanshine Penthisarn ◽  
Pilanut Phusawisot
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Intensive English Program ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
Speaking Confidence

Using a case study approach, this study investigated teachers’ perceptions of EMI, the challenges teachers encountered while adopting EMI, and opportunities for EMI in Thai EFL classrooms. The participants were three Thai teachers who used English as a medium of instruction in subjects such as mathematics and science in an intensive English program at a private primary school in the northeastern part of Thailand. Data were obtained from teachers’ journals and semi-structured interviews. The data were transcribed and coded into themes using content analysis. The current study reports the perceptions of Thai EFL teachers and reveals the challenges of EMI in Thai EFL classrooms. As the findings reveal, the participants perceived EMI as an educational advantage, as preparation for the international community and as an approach to enhance students’ speaking confidence. Although EMI offers potential benefits, the study reveals that when teaching, the participants are challenged by students’ language proficiency, classroom size, a lack of teaching materials, teacher’s lack of content knowledge and a lack of support from the school. Moreover, the study suggests some recommendations for pedagogical implication in adopting EMI in Thai EFL classrooms.

scholarly journals Mobilizing foreign language students for multilingual crisis translation in Shanghai

Multilingua ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 587-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongyan Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Local Community ◽  
University Student ◽  
Technical Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Close Collaboration ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Student Volunteers ◽  
The University

AbstractThis paper examines the multilingual translation efforts of a group of university student volunteers during the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of the volunteer team leader, team members, and a local community health worker. Findings identified time constraints, limited language proficiency, and limited technical knowledge as the major challenges confronting the university volunteers. In order to overcome the challenges, they worked in close collaboration and used translingual and network strategies to facilitate prompt and high-quality crisis translation. Findings suggest that foreign language university students in local universities may serve as readily available multilingual resources and can be mobilized in prompt response to the grassroots multilingual needs of the local community in times of crisis. The paper ends with implications for measures and strategies to enhance effective emergency language service and crisis communication for global multilingual cities.

scholarly journals Role of Self-Efficacy in Learning English as a Second language: A Comparative Study among ESL Learners in Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1163-1167
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saleem Rana ◽  
Muhammad Irfan Rai ◽  
Muhammad Zubair ◽  
Noor Muzammil
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Statistical Program ◽  
The University ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Relationship

This article looks into the competence of second language acquisition investigating that how a language learner does learn English as a second language effectively by using his own abilities.Many studies have examined the function of Self-Efficacy in academic achievement, though as Pajares (2000) mentioned the relation of language achievement and Self-Efficacy has not been studied well and there has been small research in this regard. This made the researcher to investigate the relationship between Pakpattan ESL learners' language achievements and their Self-Efficacy. It also studies the variations of ESL learners’ Self-Efficacy and their majors. Besides, it explores the differences between ESL learners' majors and their language achievements. Population of this study was 200 ESL learners of The University of Lahore Pakpattan campus but 60 ESL learners from different departments of The University of Lahore Pakpattan campus selected for the sample of present study in order to measure ESL learners' language proficiency. Different types of tests applied for its measurement. A questionnaire was prepared and conducted. Computer statistical program SPSS XXII was used for statistics. Literature were reviewed and the work cited mentioned as well.

scholarly journals THE VIEWS OF PH.D. SAUDI STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW TO UTILISE SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS TO SUPPORT LEARNING

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Omar Abdullah Alshehri
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The University

This paper examined the perception of using social media tools to support learning among Ph.D. Saudi students at the University of Glasgow. It also examined the benefits of using social media tools for learning and the important role that these tools can play to facilitate the educational process. Moreover, it examined the barriers they could face during the use of social media tools in the education process. Participants in this study were 3 Ph.D. Saudi students at the University of Glasgow. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data for this study. The results indicate that students, both male and female, are using social media tools and their opinions largely coincide regarding the benefits of and barriers to social media usage. The results pointed out that the major barriers to using these tools in learning were a distraction, privacy, and the lack of available high-speed Internet. The study recommended that this study could be replicated at other Saudi Ph.D. students at different universities to investigate teachers and students' perception to use these modern technologies for learning as well as find out factors and barriers that might affect Saudi teachers and students’ attitudes toward using social media tools for learning.

scholarly journals Explorations of Beliefs about EFL Teachers’ Roles from Both Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives through Metaphor Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (29) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharihan Shawkat Azeez
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The University

Metaphor acts as a window into comprehending teachers’ experiences through providing insights into complex concepts of teaching and learning. As a result, it plays a crucial role in exploring beliefs about teachers’ roles in the teaching and learning process. To elicit ideas and beliefs which both teachers and students held about the role of English teachers, questionnaires were given to 30 teachers and 85 students in the University of Duhok, English Department. The questionnaire asked the subjects to provide their beliefs about English teachers’ roles by using a sentence completion task “An English teacher is…. because….”. Eight conceptual categories are introduced from the linguistic metaphors and example metaphors for each category are given in the results tables. The eight conceptual categories include: teacher as devotee, teacher as nurturer, teachers as provider / source of knowledge, teacher as cultural transmitter, teacher as authority, teacher as guider, teacher as a friend, and teacher as a nice beautiful soul. All participants expressed the same conceptual categories, but still they use different metaphors to express their views. An interesting feature of these results is that there are some parallel and overlaps of metaphors among different subjects. The findings of this study suggested subtle differences between students’ and teachers’ beliefs. This study will benefit teachers, curriculum designers, and researchers. Researchers may carry out comprehensive studies using metaphor as an investigating tool to better understand both students and teachers’ perceptions of the teachers’ roles. The results will help develop comprehensive and inclusive methods of teaching. Larger samples with variables such as gender, age, different locations, and proficiency of participants should be taken into consideration during future studies.

scholarly journals PROVISION OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION: TRENDS AND ISSUES

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
OLGA KVASOVA ◽  
CAROLYN WESTBROOK ◽  
KEVIN WESTBROOK
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
British Council ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
The World ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction

The article addresses the current trends of teaching subjects through the medium of English which has been boosting in the world and in Ukraine. Introduced due to globalization processes, teaching in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has become an essential part of internationalization policies of universities. The increase in numbers of international students is viewed as an indication of quality of education provided by universities; it contributes to universities’ higher ratings and competitiveness. The introduction of EMI has been sustainably promoted by the British Council. Nonetheless, EMI providers across the world keep encountering similar issues and challenges. Amongst those, the most essential is low English language proficiency of non-native English speakers – both teachers and students. The article aims to examine the training provided to Ukrainian teachers who deliver EMI courses. The authors surveyed 28 EMI teachers in two universities in the country. The results imply the necessity to reprofile linguistic and pedagogical courses for EMI teachers, including training them in implementing innovative and interactive teaching techniques. The prospects of further research arouse from the need to develop a quality system of assessing students’ learning outcomes.

Technological Skills and Initial Teacher Training

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Nuzzaci
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Education Technology ◽  
Primary Teacher ◽  
Professional Conduct ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Initial Teacher Training ◽  
Primary Teacher Education ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
The University

This article describes how the use of education technology by those responsible for teacher training is one of the training issues that are often associated with the importance of enhancing didactic efficiency and the procedural and logistical difficulties associated with the instructional design that are identified as the main sources of concern in the professionalization of teachers and sometimes lead to unjustified assumptions about the very nature of the formation. Understanding attitudes towards ICT is important in determining whether future teachers' perceptions about the advantages or disadvantages of using ICT in higher education may condition their proper use in teaching as this provides the basics for professional conduct that is most appropriate. The present article aims to investigate the attitudes of personal and didactic use of technologies and the perception of their digital skills in students attending the Degree Course in Primary Teacher Education at the University of Aquila Studies.

scholarly journals Learner Beliefs and Language Proficiency in SA Context: A Case study of Chinese Students Taking Pre-sessional Language Course in the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Xin ◽  
Zhang Jiayi
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learner Beliefs ◽  
Combining Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

<p>This study seeks to explore the interrelation between learners’ beliefs and language proficiency in study abroad (SA) context. The participants of this study consisted of 30 Chinese students who were taking the pre-sessional language course at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Combining data from the questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and test scores, the current study tries to answer three research questions: (1) Do learners’ beliefs change in the SA context? If so, in what ways? (2) Does learners’ language proficiency change in the SA context? If so, in what ways? (3) What is the relationship between learners’ English language proficiency and their beliefs about language learning?</p>By investigating learners’ beliefs change in SA context and how such change impacts on their language learning behavior and outcomes, it is hoped that students can have a more fruitful study-abroad sojourn.

scholarly journals Appropriate and relevant humour in the university classroom: insights from teachers and students

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhana Abu Bakar
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The University

When used for the purpose of teaching and learning, humour must be relevant and appropriate to the context. However, what constitutes appropriate and relevant humour is unclear. Past studies have focussed mostly on classifying appropriate and relevant types of humour. Additionally, students’ and teachers’ perceptions of what constitutes appropriate and relevant humour are likely to differ, meaning that the effectiveness of teachers’ humour use may vary depending on the context. With this in mind, it is important to consider teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the appropriateness and relevance of humour. For this paper, five award-winning teachers and 10 students were interviewed regarding their perceptions and experiences of the use of humour in university teaching. Four themes were identified that relate to teachers’ and students’ perceptions regarding the appropriateness of humour: Appropriate humour is relevant humour; Appropriate humour happens at a suitable time and in a suitable manner; Appropriate humour enhances teachers’ credibility; and Inappropriate humour is disrespectful humour. Three themes were identified related to the relevance of humour: Relevant humour is related to the learning content; Relevant humour is related to daily experiences in life; and Irrelevant humour is humour that students do not understand. On the basis of this study, this paper offers pedagogical suggestions for teachers who wish to use humour effectively by taking into consideration what humour is considered appropriate/inappropriate and relevant/irrelevant.

scholarly journals Intercultural Education and Competences at School

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-67
Author(s):  
Marta Milani ◽  
Agostino Portera
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Intercultural Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The University

The present time of globalization, interdependence and multicultural societies has brought about both opportunities and crisis that concern all fields involved with social welfare, especially education (Portera, 2020, 2006). Within the school environment, there is a growing need for intercultural education and competences at the cognitive, emotional and relational levels, which will endow teachers and students with the abilities to operate in linguistically and culturally complex contexts (UNESCO, 2015; Portera, 2013; Deardorff, 2009). However, the concepts of ‘Intercultural Education’ and ‘Intercultural Competences’ are often misunderstood and require more precise definition. The authors review the scientific literature on the aforementioned concepts and then report the results of a study carried out by the Centre for Intercultural Study at the University of Verona (Italy) which examines how teachers who work in different types of schools define and apply the concept of ‘intercultural competences’ in their praxis. The study uses a qualitative research methodology that includes a process of ‘triangulation’. Specifically, a series of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and participant observations were conducted in order to explore teachers’ intercultural competences, especially through the analysis of critical incidents. After discussing the results, the authors outline impplications for teacher education and school praxis in intercultural perspective.

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