scholarly journals Teacher Educators’ Professional Identity in English-Medium Instruction at a Finnish University

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-33
Author(s):  
Sotiria Pappa ◽  
Josephine Moate

Although different forms of English-medium instruction (EMI) are being recognised, the different ways in which EMI can impact the pedagogical activities and expertise of higher education educators have received less attention. Using face-to-face and written interviews with nine teacher educators at a Finnish university, this study examines the most important aspects teacher educators perceive in their work through EMI and how these aspects connect to the understanding of their professional identity. The study is theoretically premised on the interconnected concepts of pedagogical doing, pedagogical being, pedagogical relating, and pedagogical language awareness. The thematically analysed data highlighted the ways in which pedagogical being, doing, and relating revolve around the presence and role of the foreign language in EMI, as well as the concurrent disjunctures and opportunities EMI creates. Pedagogical being informed EMI teacher educators’ orientation to their work and the different ways language impinges on the sense of self as the teacher educators share how they try to understand and respond to the disjunctures of EMI. In terms of pedagogical doing, EMI impinges on how teacher educators enact their practice and the relationships developed with students. However, the focus of pedagogical relating addresses the relationship between the EMI teacher educators and their workplace. The findings from this study will hopefully contribute to the development of EMI teacher preparation and support critical discussions on the ‘Englishisation’ of higher education.

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 284
Author(s):  
Wojciech Rodzeń ◽  
Małgorzata Maria Kulik ◽  
Agnieszka Malinowska ◽  
Zdzisław Kroplewski ◽  
Małgorzata Szcześniak

Does the way we think or feel about ourselves have an impact on our anger-based reactions? Is the direction and strength of this relationship direct, or affected by other factors as well? Given that there is a lack of research on the loss of self-dignity and anger, the first aim of the present study consisted in examining whether or not there is a connection between both variables, with particular emphasis on early adulthood. The second purpose was to explore the moderating role of religiosity on the relationship between loss of self-dignity and anger. Methods: Data were gathered from 462 participants aged 18 to 35. The main methods applied were the Questionnaire of Sense of Self-Dignity, Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and Religious Meaning System Questionnaire. The results show a statistically significant positive correlation between loss of self-dignity and anger, a negative correlation between religiosity and anger, and no significant association between the loss of self-dignity and religiosity. However, all other dimensions of the sense of self-dignity correlated positively with religiosity. Our findings also confirm that the level of anger resulting from the loss of self-dignity is significantly lower as the level of religiosity increases. Such outcomes seem to support the conception that religiosity may act as a protective factor between the risk (loss of self-dignity) and the outcome factor (anger).


2021 ◽  
pp. 174619792098136
Author(s):  
Sansom Milton

In this paper, the role of higher education in post-uprising Libya is analysed in terms of its relationship with transitional processes of democratization and civic development. It begins by contextualising the Libyan uprising within the optimism of the ‘Arab Spring’ transitions in the Middle East. Following this, the relationship between higher education and politics under the Qadhafi regime and in the immediate aftermath of its overthrow is discussed. A case-study of a programme designed to support Tripoli University in contributing towards democratisation will then be presented. The findings of the case-study will be reflected upon to offer a set of recommendations for international actors engaging in political and civic education in conflict-affected settings, in particular in the Middle East.


2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Bowden ◽  
Subhash Abhayawansa ◽  
John Bahtsevanoglou

Purpose – There is evidence that students who attend Technical and Further Education (TAFE) prior to entering higher education underperform in their first year of study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of self-efficacy in understanding the performance of students who completed TAFE in the previous year in a first year subject of microeconomics in a dual sector university in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises data collected by surveys of 151 students. Findings – A student’s self-efficacy is positively associated with their marks in a first year subject of microeconomics. However, the relationship between final marks and self-efficacy is negative for those students who attended TAFE in the previous year suggesting that they suffer from the problem of overconfidence. When holding self-efficacy constant, using econometric techniques, TAFE attendance is found to be positively related to final marks. Research limitations/implications – The findings are exploratory (based on a small sample) and lead to a need to conduct cross institutional studies. Practical implications – The research points to the need for early interventions so that TAFE students perform well in their first year of higher education. It also points to potential issues in the development of Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) programs. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the inter-related impact of attendance at TAFE in the previous year and self-efficacy on the subsequent academic performance of TAFE students.


Neofilolog ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Jolanta Sujecka-Zając

The trend for eco-linguistics, which has been dynamically developing in the English-language literature since the 1970s, proposes a change in the perception of the relationship between language, nature, and culture, in a sense making language a link which brings together nature and culture, rather than separating them as is traditional. This approach poses important questions: How do languages ​​work in the ecosystem created by the language environment of all users of a given language context? What relationships can they enter into? How should one perceive the development of multilingualism in such an ecological approach, in which not only does "strong" affect the "weak" but “weak” reciprocates? "Weak" has an important place in the language ecosystem, which risks serious changes due to excessive weakening of one of its components. This paper aims to examine the possible inspirations that eco-linguistics offers Foreign Language Teaching (FLT), highlighting the role of each language and sensitizing the reader to the relationships that arise between languages ​​and their users in a given environment. From this perspective Claire Kramsch (2008) postulates a change in the perception of the main function of the teacher from the "teacher of a code" to the "teacher of meaning", which has specific didactic consequences in how language activities are approached. Is the school classroom a place for activities which have their origin in the trend for eco-FLT?


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Najar

This study examines the generalizability of research in the areas of instruction; learning; and transfer of learning to the role these play in the area of the use of strategic competencies in foreign language contexts (FLC). While previous studies have tended towards a focus on learner variables, this study includes the conditions of applicability with a task that can impact learning and transfer as well. The contributions of both variables, learner and task, were investigated through note-taking strategy instruction and transfer, to ascertain the effect on reading comprehension of textual materials in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. Learning was measured as a precursor to transfer. In order to investigate the role of instruction and transfer in the transfer of strategy use, a mixed design using both qualitative and quantitative approaches for design and analysis was used. Findings suggest that the relationship between instruction and transfer as represented by strategy use and task performance is a multidimensional one, and that there are implications for language learning instruction in the foreign language classroom.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-630
Author(s):  
Viktor P. Sheinov

Social networks are taking up more and more place in the daily life of modern people, becoming an integral part of our existence. At the same time, the role of social networks is constantly growing along with the rapid growth in the number of their active users. As online interaction for many has become more used than face-to-face communication, social networks have begun to seriously affect the way of life, communication, interests and psychology of people. The use of social networks is growing exponentially and has covered more than a third of the worlds population; therefore, researchers from different countries are actively studying social networks. Considerable empirical data has been accumulated that requires generalization and understanding, which is the purpose of this review. We found positive links between social media addiction and depression, anxiety, stress, neuroticism, emotional problems, low self-esteem, cyber-victimization, physical health problems, mental disorders, loneliness, procrastination, smartphone and internet addiction, and infidelity in relationships. Negative links were revealed between social media addiction and life satisfaction, academic performance of schoolchildren and students, labor productivity and commitment to the organization of its employees, social capital, and age. The main reason for social media addiction is the need for communication, and women are generally more active in social networks than men. This review provides only those links of social media addiction that have been established in a number of studies conducted in different countries. The presented results were obtained abroad using foreign language questionnaires that determine social media addiction. The lack of such a reliable and valid tool among Russian-speaking psychologists has become a serious factor hindering the conduct of similar domestic research. With this in view, the author developed a specially designed social media addiction questionnaire.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Quang Thuan

This research aims to describe the situation of scientific research and the teaching of foreign languages ​​in universities. A questionnaire survey and a series of face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sample of 488 foreign language teachers from 201 universities. The research results describe a comprehensive picture of the training and scientific research related to the teaching of foreign languages ​​in higher education institutions in Vietnam.


2020 ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Ron Martinez ◽  
Francisco Fogaça ◽  
Eduardo Henrique Diniz de Figueiredo

AbstractClasses taught through English in higher education (in countries where English is not an official language) is a growing phenomenon worldwide. In Brazil the trend has only emerged in the last decade, and has faced some resistance on many fronts, including among professors.  One of the concerns raised by professors is related to their identity: essentially, are instructors who teach through a foreign language delivering a class that is qualitatively different?  For example, are they as able to interact with the students in the same way they would in their L1?  In order to move beyond mere conjecture regarding these and related questions, the present study describes the development and validation of a classroom observation instrument designed to be used (or adapted for use) by researchers wishing to investigate issues surrounding, especially, interactivity in English Medium Instruction in higher education settings.Key words: EMI, classroom interaction, bilingual education, internationalization ResumoAulas ministradas no ensino superior por meio de língua inglesa (em países onde o inglês não é um idioma oficial) é um fenômeno crescente no mundo acadêmico. No Brasil, a tendência só surgiu na última década e tem enfrentado certa resistência em muitas frentes, inclusive entre os professores. Uma das preocupações levantadas por docentes é relacionada à identidade: isto é, será que os professores que ensinam através de uma língua estrangeira ministram uma aula qualitativamente diferente? Por exemplo, será que eles conseguem interagir com os alunos da mesma maneira que eles conduzem uma aula na primeira língua? Para ir além da mera conjectura sobre essas e outras questões relacionadas, o presente estudo descreve o desenvolvimento e a validação de um instrumento de observação de aula projetado para ser usado (ou adaptado para uso) por pesquisadores que desejam investigar questões relacionadas, principalmente, à interatividade didática quando em contextos de Inglês como Meio de Instrução em inglês no âmbito do ensino superior.Palavras chave:EMI, Inglês como Meio de Instrução, ensino bilingue, internacionalização


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