scholarly journals Engineering Students' EFL Needs at the Tertiary Level of Education in Bangladesh: Expectations and Existence

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-126
Author(s):  
Md. Habibur Rahman ◽  
Md. Musrifur Jelane
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Basic Language ◽  
Language Needs ◽  
Mixed Approach

Conducting needs analysis is a prevalent phenomenon in designing curriculum in language teaching and learning. This paper explored the English language needs of engineering students at the tertiary level of education in Bangladesh vis-à-vis four basic language skills. Moreover, this paper tried to shed some light on the gaps between learners’ present level of competence and target needs. This study followed the mixed approach (both quantitative approach and qualitative approach) to collect data through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Under the random stratified sampling method, the study collected data from 99 undergraduate engineering students and 15 EFL teachers from different universities in Bangladesh. The findings of the study revealed that engineering students felt the ardent need for all the four major language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The findings also addressed the needs of the subskills regarding each language skill. Additionally, the offered courses were not adequately addressing the language needs of the students. Moreover, the duration and number of English language classes were not sufficient to meet the needs of the engineering students. Based on the findings, this study made some recommendations to minimize the gaps between engineering students’ present and target needs of the English language.

Exploring the Difficulties Encountered by the Non-English Department Students in Learning the English Language: A Study on the Tertiary Level of Education in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
pp. 47-55
Author(s):  
Md. Musrifur Jelane
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
English Department ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
English Departments

Most of the non-English departments at the tertiary level of education in Bangladesh conduct the English language course for the development of English language skills of the non-English department students. However, the non-English department students at the tertiary level of education in Bangladesh face many troubles in learning the English language efficiently. The purpose of this study was to explore the difficulties encountered by the non-English department students at the tertiary level of education in Bangladesh in learning the English language. This study followed a quantitative research approach. Data collected from 100 non-English department students both from public and private universities of Bangladesh through survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study disclosed that the non-English department students face the most difficulty in productive skills (speaking and writing). Moreover, duration of the class and semester, syllabus design, needs analysis, classroom techniques, and methods are the significant factors that affect the English language learning of the non-English department students.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Teaching and Development of Language skills :A Pakistani Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Syeda Naureen Mumtaz ◽  
◽  
Dr.Uzma Quraishi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English As Foreign Language

The study was attempted to explore as to what extent English language teaching in Pakistan has been able to develop language skills among the target learners. The researcher intended to evaluate the limit to which the textbook helps in generating competence of all four integrated skills, especially as laid down in the standards of the National Curriculum (2006). The purpose of this study was to create pragmatic awareness among learners, teachers and educational professionals, working in the field of English as Foreign Language. By method , it was a qualitative study, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were the tools used to elicit the data. The participants of this research were selected from public sector schools and organizations including, teachers, policymakers, curriculum developers, subject specialists, and students to examine the effectiveness of grade VIII’s English language textbook on students’ performance . For data analysis themes were developed, coded and summarized in a descriptive mode. The findings of this study reflected that the relevant textbook does not cater to the target learners’ future academic and professional language needs. As a solution to the problems while teaching and learning English as foreign language in Pakistan; this study also offered a model to be followed by the policy makers and practitioners in order to make the existing English language textbook more effectives in terms of foreign language teaching and learning and language skill development.

scholarly journals Analysis of the English Language Needs of Students at the Russian Technological University

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-100
Author(s):  
Olga G Rossikhina ◽  
Polina V Ermakova ◽  
Olga A Aleshchenko
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Needs ◽  
Technological Universities ◽  
English Competence

The article looks into the English language needs of engineering students and young graduates at one of the leading technological universities in Russia - NUST MISiS. The authors used a mixed methodology approach to explore how often and in what real-life situations current and former students use the English language. 107 paper questionnaires were completed by master’s degree students in class and the answers were counted; 123 responses were received online from 2015 and 2016 graduates and processed statistically; 17 structured interviews with college administrators and subject professors were recorded and then coded for the main categories. The results demonstrate that despite dramatic changes at NUST MISiS under The Competitiveness Enhancement Program 5-100, good English competence is not a priority, with the majority of young graduates being ‘unsure’ about its benefits for their career and some administrators calling it ‘the least required competence’. However, the English language needs vary across subject departments. Thus, students majoring in new materials and programming use English on a regular basis, while economists and metallurgists might not really need it in both studies and future job. Overall, the most required skill is reading, and the least used ones are oral communication and academic writing in English. The authors discuss how orientation on potential rather than actual needs can affect the ESP/EAP course design in the context of engineering education in Russia.

Disciplinary differences in the language needs of engineering students in Iran: a cross-disciplinary analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Razieh Gholaminejad
Keyword(s):  
Educational Level ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Language Needs

PurposeAlthough English for academic purposes (EAP) courses are vital components of engineering disciplines in the universities of Iran, studies investigating engineering students' English language needs are infrequent, and even more infrequent are studies comparing how the students of different engineering disciplines vary in their English language needs. Research demonstrates that students of different disciplines have different language needs, which requires competency in different language skills (Soruç et al., 2018). However, in the majority of Iranian universities, students of different engineering disciplines are taught similar subskills, through similar teaching methodologies and textbooks. With the twofold purpose of identification and comparison of the students' language needs and weaknesses, this study focuses on the perceptions of Iranian students of electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels of their present language abilities and target-situation language needs.Design/methodology/approachOnline surveys regarding language needs and self-assessments were completed by 194 undergraduate students and 189 postgraduate students studying at Sharif University.FindingsWhile only educational level was found to have a significant effect on the perceptions of the respondents of their target needs, both educational level and discipline had a significant effect on the perceptions of the students of their present level of language proficiency. Furthermore, almost equal attention to the four language skills were considered necessary by the respondents, who also held that the number of credits devoted to the EAP courses was insufficient. A further finding was that the majority of the undergraduates required that the EAP courses be oriented toward English for specific purposes (ESP), whereas almost half of the postgraduates preferred that the EAP classes be geared toward general English.Originality/valueResearchers have so far analyzed the language needs of students of a number of academic disciplines. This study adds to the existing literature of needs-analysis by comparing the engineering students' present abilities and target language needs. This study is different from the existing publications on language needs-analysis in two ways. First, through a comparative perspective, a profile of engineering students' language needs is obtained, which can serve as a new database for curriculum developers and material designers of engineering programs. Second, investigating whether the students' perceptions of their language needs are affected by their educational levels and disciplines is a topic for which there is little information at present.

Formalizing Informal CALL in Learning English Language Skills

2020 ◽  
pp. 161-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norizan Abdul Razak ◽  
Amr Abdullatif Yassin ◽  
Tg Nor Rizan Tg Mohamad Maasum
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
English Language Skills ◽  
Learning English

This chapter aimed at exploring how to formalize informal CALL in learning English language skills. The focus of the study was on learners' ICT skills and learning strategies and CALL elements. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with four learners. The findings showed that adult learners in this age of technology do not need any training to use CALL to study English language. Moreover, adult learners have acquired the learning strategies needed for studying English informally through CALL. In terms of CALL elements, the findings showed that there is a need to integrate the elements of behaviorist CALL, cognitive CALL, and constructivist CALL to make informal CALL more effective. Therefore, the focus should be directed to providing professionally-designed CALL tools that suffice the needs of the learners by those who have educational background about language teaching and learning. This will enhance informal CALL learning and make self-directed learning more efficient.

British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching Principles ◽  
Language Needs

English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.

The Use of Multimedia and its Impact on Bangladeshi EFL Learners at Tertiary Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Farzana Sharmin Pamela Islam
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

As 21st century is the era of modern technologies with different aspects, it offers us to make the best use of them. After tape recorder and overhead projector (OHP), multimedia has become an important part of language classroom facilities for its unique and effective application in delivering and learning lesson. Although in many parts of Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, where English enjoys the status of a foreign language, the use of multimedia in teaching and learning is viewed as a matter of luxury. However, nowadays the usefulness and the necessity of it are well recognized by the academics as well as the government. The study aims to focus on the difference between a traditional classroom void of multimedia and multimedia equipped classrooms at university level by explaining how multimedia support the students with enhanced opportunity to interact with diverse texts that give them more in-depth comprehension of the subject. It also focuses on audio-visual advantage of multimedia on the students’ English language learning. The study has followed a qualitative method to get an in-depth understanding of the impact of using multimedia in an English language classroom at tertiary level. For this purpose, the data have been collected from two different sources. Firstly, from students’ written response to  an open ended question as to their comparative experience of learning  lessons with and without multimedia facilities; and secondly, through  observation of English language classes at a private university of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The discussion of the study is limited to  the use of multimedia in English language classroom using cartoons, images and music with a view to enhance students’ skills in academic writing, critical analysis of image and critical appreciation of music. For this purpose, cartoons in English language, images from Google and music from You Tube have got focused discussion in this paper.

Migrant Voices in the Polish Classroom: Canadian Literature on the Tertiary Level of Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-427
Author(s):  
Dagmara Drewniak
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Canadian Literature ◽  
Cultural Heterogeneity ◽  
English Language Literature ◽  
Language Literature

Abstract This paper explores the possibilities of introducing contemporary Canadian texts into a Polish university classroom. It contextualizes teaching English language literature in Poland as well as seeks options for promoting values such as openness and tolerance while facilitating global reading and raising students’ awareness on global conflicts and their meaning in the contemporaneous world. The paper aims at demonstrating that Canadian literature courses composed of texts concerned with immigration and multiculturalism turn out to have an enormous potential in creating valuable debates on the problem of embracing otherness, seeking bridges in mutual understanding, and promoting openness towards different identities. On the basis of close readings of three texts, M. Ondaatje’s The English Patient, A.J. Borkowski’s Copernicus Avenue, and E. Stachniak’s Necessary Lies, the present article also demonstrates how Canadian literature enriches and rescales students’ perception of cultural heterogeneity and responsibility of reading, thus offering new perspectives on the rapidly changing world.

Blended learning: Barriers and drawbacks for English language lecturers at Vietnamese universities

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110482
Author(s):  
Thi Nguyet Le ◽  
Bill Allen ◽  
Nicola F Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Learning Barriers ◽  
Teaching Time

Although blended learning (BL) has emerged as one of the most dominant delivery modes in higher education in the 21st century, there are notable barriers and drawbacks in using BL for English language teaching and learning in Vietnamese universities. This study reports on research into the use of BL, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 30 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers from 10 different universities across the two major cities of Vietnam. The findings revealed that EFL lecturers identified eight groups of barriers and four groups of drawbacks to the successful implementation of BL. The most significant barriers included: lack of infrastructure and technology, institutional policies and support; lack of knowledge, experience and investment in using BL; lack of technological competence and information technology (IT) skills and lack of teaching time to employ web-based technologies and online resources in classrooms. Meanwhile, the most crucial drawbacks were: lecturers’ workload, ineffective use of BL, time consumption and demotivation. The authors point to the underlying factors contributing to these barriers and drawbacks and make implications for how some of these can be effectively addressed through constructive changes to policy and practice.

Digital literacies: A strategy of pedagogy for English language teaching to technical undergraduates

2021 ◽  
pp. 518-526
Author(s):  
Narendra Kumar Jangir ◽  
Amol R. Bute ◽  
Amit Bansode
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
New Literacies ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skill ◽  
Traditional Classrooms ◽  
Rural Location ◽  
Teaching Language

English language teaching for the engineering students in under-develop colleges of rural location encounters challenges of resources. Even the task of imparting necessary language skills becomes difficult with the help of traditional classrooms. The syllabuses for professional courses are designed to comprehend the language skill to cop-up with the entire degree course and face the placement process towards the end of the course. Hence, the paper would be discussing the solution to the problem of the lack of facilities in teaching language to the professional undergraduates in under-develop colleges. It would also bring out the scope of discovering beyond basic software programs on the computer like Grammarly and Ginger, instead discusses the implication of new literacies in learning a language in the classroom of professional college.

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