scholarly journals Foreign Language Education in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions: The State of Play

e-TEALS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
Carlos Ceia ◽  
Nicolas Hurst
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses ◽  
Portuguese Higher Education

Abstract Over the last 15 to 20 years, changes in foreign language teaching policies in Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs) have been subject to little discussion and less inter-institutional dialogue. Each institution has absorbed different European directives, and more specifically adapted its context in response to the Bologna Process, according to its own interpretation leading to widespread ‘distortion’ across foreign language teaching curricula. While demand for foreign language courses remains high in Portuguese HEIs there has been little formal research and scarce funding available for projects related to introducing innovative practices and materials. This paper provides a critical reading of the current state of play in this crucial sphere of higher education in Portugal.

scholarly journals Updating the Selection Principles of Content Components in Linguistic Education of Foreign Non-Philological Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 113-132
Author(s):  
Mariia Pentyliuk ◽  
Iryna Kushnir ◽  
Iryna Zozulia ◽  
Iuliia Kosenko
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Foreign Students ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Teaching Process ◽  
Selection Principles ◽  
Statistical Indicators ◽  
Selection Of

The authors of this article point to the need to update the content of language education of foreign non-philological students of the Ukrainian higher education institutions. Updating the content component of the Ukrainian language teaching system as a foreign language foregrounds the following factors: the demands of a contemporary information society for the tasks and results of foreign language teaching, modern standards of language education, conditions for the teaching process organization of language disciplines to foreign students of the Ukrainian higher education institutions, and communicative needs of foreign students with a new mindset. An act of communication is considered to be the basic unit of teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language, which linguistic incarnations are discourse sentence expressions and discourse texts. An effective updating enabler of a language education content of foreign non-philological students is to identify most suitable general methodological principles for the selection of teaching materials. Techniques of educational technologies in the empirical spectrum of methodology are developed precisely in terms of linguodidactic principles. The present research theoretically substantiates the distinction of the selection principles for the content components of a language education system of foreign non-philological students. It describes the array of experimental tools for the expert assessment of practitioners as well as highlights statistical indicators of the survey results. The article also analyzes the discussion of the principles proposed by the authors for the selection of language materials for teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language to non-philological students. This article also exemplifies the results of a holistic assessment by experts of a probable application of the principles suggested in questionnaires on the selection of learning materials for textbooks / manuals that are used in the actual learning process. Statistical indicators of the imparted expert evaluation have verified the relevance to improve existing textbooks / manuals and bring them closer to communicative needs of modern foreign students with mosaic thinking, the requirements of up-to-date educational language standards, and conditions for the teaching process organization of language disciplines to foreign students of the Ukrainian higher education institutions.

scholarly journals Implementation Strategies for Improving the Teaching Quality of Foreign Language Courses

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (24) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Zhijiao Li
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Indicator System ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Fuzzy Evaluation ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses

The teaching quality of foreign language courses is constrained by various factors. It is no easy task to improve the teaching quality or evaluate it in a reliable manner. To solve the problem, this paper attempts to design feasible strategies for improving the teaching quality of foreign language courses. Firstly, theoretical analysis was carried out on the development of foreign language teaching and the factors affecting the teaching quality, revealing the key obstacles to improving the teaching quality. On this basis, several strategies and paths were put forward to improve the quality of foreign language teaching. In addition, a novel evaluation indicator system and a multi-attribute fuzzy evaluation model were established for the teaching quality of foreign language courses. The research results provide strong supports to the teaching optimization of foreign language courses.

Linguodidactic Technology of Autonomous Foreign Language Teaching in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
Н. Прибылова ◽  
N. Pribylova ◽  
Н. Тихонова ◽  
N. Tihonova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Human Potential

The article describes the linguodidactic technology of autonomous foreign language learning in the system of higher education. The fundamental principle of autonomous learning of a foreign language is to develop skills of self-regulating activities, motivation for self-improvement and acquisition of new communication skills. Educational autonomy is an integral part of modern foreign language education as it contributes to the independent use of language and the development of motivation for the language self-mastery. The article analyzes the structure of linguodidactic technology in the unity of goal setting, content, and organization of the educational process, methods and forms of foreign language teaching, comprehensive evaluation of educational progress. The importance of using the latest information technologies, distant resources, educational platforms is emphasized. The technology is based on the principles of individualization and diversifi cation of education and increases its human potential.

scholarly journals Students’ Views on Language Skills in Foreign Language Teaching

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasemin Darancik
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Core Skills ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Basic Language ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Courses ◽  
The University

The four basic language skills, listening, reading, speaking and writing are indispensable parts of a language teaching. For successful and effective education and training in foreign language courses, these four basic language skills need to be developed and reinforced in accordance with the level and needs of the learners. The aim of the research is to reveal how the students who are learning foreign languages approach the four basic language skills in general terms, their opinions about the feelings and thoughts, and thus identify important problems within this subject. The problem is not to determine the position of four core skills in foreign language teaching, or to question its definition, but the problem is to show how the students approach and master these four basic skills. This research is a qualitative study and the data that is the basis of the research has been prepared with the help of a questionnaire to determine the opinions of the university students studying foreign language teaching about the four basic language skills. The results of the research have shown that the skills that students most want to develop, pay attention to and feel lacking are speaking skills. Students will be more successful and willing in foreign language lessons when they hear and understand it correctly and they can speak it correctly and effectively. This study reveals how important these skills are for verbal communication and how much it is necessary to acquire them with different approaches and methods in foreign language lessons.

Challenges of Foreign Language Teaching and Sustainable Development Competence Implementation in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balčiūnaitienė Asta ◽  
Teresevičienė Margarita
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Empirical Level ◽  
Language Classes

Abstract The article aims to emphasize the role of foreign language teaching in fostering sustainable development competence in higher education. Foreign language classes enable students to analyze actual topics about sustainable development, to discuss problems, to share personal emotions and experiences. English as a foreign language curriculum aims to build students’ basic language communicative skills with the focus on sustainability, communication for the enhancement of sustainable development competence. The present paper aims to analyze the correlation of sustainable development competence between English as a foreign language studies in the system of higher education. The article overviews the importance of the sustainable development competence development on the theoretical level as well as introduces the practices of the importance of sustainable development competence elements in foreign language classes on the empirical level. The research was planned and performed in 5 universities of Lithuania, in which the respondents studying English (average age of participants was 22 years old) expressed their opinions on the sustainable development topics and usefulness of sustainable development competence. The results of the research demonstrate that students are more engaged in topics and materials on sustainable development and it is challenging for pedagogues to constantly update their materials, to apply innovative English as a foreign language teaching strategies related to sustainable development in foreign language classroom. Therefore, the research findings with the embedded elements for sustainable development competence development encourage educators to search for innovative ways of English as a foreign language teaching in higher education.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document