English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) at the University of Klagenfurt. A Study on the Attitudes and Language Proficiency of Students and Teaching Staff

Neira Delalić

doi:10.23963/cnp.2020.5.1.6

Abstract

This study empirically questions the context of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in a university setting, namely the University in Klagenfurt, Austria, where the primary language of instruction is German. English has been proposed in the study as a language of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), which is a teaching method whereby students learn a new content in a foreign language. Apart from examining the attitudes towards English in this respect and the levels of proficiency of the students at the University of Klagenfurt (AAU), the study also covered said attitudes and proficiency of the teaching staff. One survey was prepared for the staff and another for the students. Twenty links to different C-tests, aimed at attesting English language proficiency, were distributed across departments and faculties. 114 students took the survey and 75 of them completed the C-test. Moreover, 21 teachers completed the survey and 15 of them completed the C-test.

Highlights

Recent research revealed increasingly international settings at higher education institutions (HEIs) globally with over twice as many tertiary students enrolled outside their country of citizenship than a decade before (Baker and Hüttner 2017)
This study examined the potential of English as a language of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and its future practice at the University of Klagenfurt
The main sources of data were (1) surveys aimed at examining attitudes of students and teaching staff towards English as a medium of instruction at the University of Klagenfurt and (2) language proficiency tests (C-tests) aimed at examining language competence of the same sample of respondents

Summary

Introduction

Recent research revealed increasingly international settings at higher education institutions (HEIs) globally with over twice as many tertiary students enrolled outside their country of citizenship than a decade before (Baker and Hüttner 2017). CLIL or “Content and Language Integrated Learning” has been implemented as a dual approach to education whereby students learn a new content in a foreign language. In the European context, CLIL is defined as a dual-focused educational approach in which an additional language is used for learning and teaching the content and for developing new language skills. The concept of English as an additional language (EAL) in schools and at universities emerged in the last few decades because of the implementation of both political policies and educational strategies. The implementation of an additional language and the whole CLIL concept aims at teaching the content and language, while pursuing the content and language mastery to predefined levels (Marsh, Mehisto, Wolff and Frigols-Martin 2010), and English acts as the most dominant foreign language to be used in this way. After presenting the qualitative and quantitative results of the case study, chapter 4 proposes solutions and strategies for implementing English as a language of instruction at the University of Klagenfurt

Data and Methodology

Survey and Test Results

Student Survey and Test

Staff Survey and Test

Findings

Discussion and Outlook