‘I want the text to still be me’

In this study we explored the effect of podcasting on the motivation of the students in an online English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course at the university level (N = 179). By using a mixed-method approach, we analyzed the data collected on the learners' impressions about using podcasts as a learning tool. The particular aim of this study was to help learners do research in English in their specific academic field. In their EAP course the learners are expected to study various types of English texts, listen to media and give lectures on their academic findings. The findings of this study revealed that males found podcasting significantly more relevant and attractive than females. Females, on the other hand, were significantly more satisfied with using podcasts in their EAP class. Further, results showed that learners who had no prior experience of podcasts for academic purposes outperformed the learners with medium experience. For further qualitative investigation, several sources were used for data collection including interviews with the learners, the course forums, emails, the class groupblog, podcasts and open-ended questions. Overall podcasting proved highly effective in motivating the students to learn in the online environment.

Ranking implemented in the English for Academic Purposes course helps in selecting appropriate sub-topics to be obtained by students. The aim of the present research is to compare teacher’s and students’ ranking of topics of the English for Academic Purposes course delivered to master of engineering students underpinning the elaboration of implications for the advancement of the English for Academic Purposes course. Research methods applied include the use of theoretical as well as empirical methods. Theoretical methods imply analysis of theoretical sources and theoretical modelling. The empirical study was characterized by its explorative nature. The empirical study was based on a survey carried out with 10 engineering master students of the Master programme “Information and Electrical Engineering” at Hochschule Wismar, Germany. The data were interpreted and summarized. The summarizing content analysis allows proposing that the students positively evaluated the majority of the sub-topics of the delivered English for Academic Purposes course. The hypothesis was formulated. Implications for the advancement of the English for Academic Purposes course were identified. Directions of future work were proposed. The novelty of the research is revealed by the formulated hypothesis as well as implications

Although researchers have indicated that speech production is an important aspect of academic success and acculturation (e.g., Berman & Cheng, 2001; Cheng & Fox, 2008) and teachers have identified the need for more preparation in this area (Thornbury, 2005), there is still a lack of time and practice devoted to the speech issues of international students in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses at the tertiary level (Maleki & Zangani, 2007; Wood, 2010; 2015). Many second language (L2) learners in academic programs have expressed frustration with the difficulty their listeners often have in comprehending what they say (Derwing & Munro, 2015). To address this instructional gap, an electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) learning module designed to guide learners to work more autonomously was integrated into EAP courses at a medium sized university. Learners were encouraged to engage in more autonomous learning (Reinders, 2011) by examining their performance, planning interventions, reviewing performance, and assessing improvement. This study examined the impact of the ePortfolio learning module on 55 participants in developing speech comprehensibility and autonomous learning by applying a two-phased mixed methods explanatory sequential design (Creswell, 2015). In Phase I, quantitative data were collected through the use of a survey and a pre- and post-treatment test. In Phase II, qualitative data (18 participant reflections, four semi-structured interviews) were analyzed. Findings of the first phase indicated that speech comprehensibility improved through better learner management of volume or degree of loudness, speed, articulation, and word attack skills, and the lower the initial level of comprehensibility, the greater the improvement. Findings from the second phase indicated that over 90% of participants' comments were related to autonomous learning activities and that the more they engaged in autonomous learning, the greater the improvement in speech comprehensibility. Further, participants who improved the most were those who also applied the autonomous learning skills to other academic contexts. These findings suggest that the ePortfolio learning module was successful in filling the gap between the perceived need of L2 participants for support in developing speech comprehensibility and the limited amount of time available in the curriculum to address this need.

This case study investigated the self-regulated learning strategies that university students employ while engaging with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as part of an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) involves the processes whereby students plan, monitor, evaluate, and adjust their performance towards goal attainment. Literature from MOOCs identifies self-regulation as an essential feature of participants who successfully take part in such courses. Learners are anticipated to monitor their learning while working with the online material at their own pace and connecting with other learners around the world whenever they want. Using MOOCs as supplementary learning material for a face-to-face academic English course provides an interesting picture of the learning strategies that students use while embracing openness within a formal learning context. This paper reports on the data collected from two online questionnaires administered to identify and compare the SRL strategies that participants used before and after their MOOC engagement. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to complement the quantitative data. Data analysis shows that strategic planning and metacognitive monitoring strategies tend to be used more than help-seeking strategies during MOOC engagement. Findings also highlight students’ positive attitudes towards the study as well as their suggestions for future blended MOOC practices within academic English courses.

This paper describes a content-based English for academic purposes (EAP) course, ‘Language and Public Life’, and its major assignment, a research essay that critiques media coverage of a current event or social issue. The pedagogical context in which this assignment is realised underpins the forms of critical inquiry expected. The selection of course materials integrates a variety of print- and image-based media, complemented by readings that encourage a multiliteracies framework with which to analyse and compare the various informational domains employed. Other important elements of context are the university setting and the formal expectations that arise in any EAP programme. Drawing on the work of Benesch, the course is conceptualised in terms of critical EAP, a dual strategy in which academic language learning and critical inquiry co-develop, towards the added goal of encouraging English as a second language (ESL) students to question the institutional arrangements in which they are positioned. The final section of this paper provides an example of a student essay. One of the key features of this particular essay is the utilisation of the internet, which offered access to diverse voices excluded in the mainstream media. The implications for the course and critical EAP are then developed.

Identifying significant factors in teaching-learning performance affecting the efficiency of teachers at university is an indispensable factor in upholding the quality of the teaching in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. This study aims to evaluate teachers’ performance in EAP courses using the students’ course-instructor evaluation survey, and the students’ final grades. For this purpose, the Performance Improvement Management (PIM) software Data Envelopment Analysis (PIM-DEA) is applied to evaluate the efficiency of EAP teachers. Later, a sensitivity analysis is applied to prioritize the significant indicators of teacher performance following an interview with the teachers aimed at the betterment of their performance. The result of the study reveals that the degree of student satisfaction in relation to assignments, exams, and grading systems are significant factors related to teachers’ performance. A wider realization of this should be seen, in the researcher’s opinion, vital to the development of the educational sector.

The longitudinal development of argumentative writing in an English for academic purposes course in Japan

Finding an answer to the effectiveness of autonomous learning in contrast to traditional forms of teacher-directed learning has significant pedagogical ramifications. Our study sheds light on the effects of increased autonomy in SL on the development of students and the role of the instructor. Furthermore, we focus on international student experiences in order to understand the ramifications for their development, in the context of increased internationalization. Our study compares autonomous (self-directed) and instructor- (other-directed) groups of students who engaged in SL as part of a university-level English language course. We collected data from 143 students’ pre- and post-service surveys over 8 semesters. Both other-directed and self-directed groups benefited from the SL experience, suggesting that students can develop holistically in a SL English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Other-directed students appeared to benefit more in terms of learning about specific social issues, service, and the target communities. Self-directedness was associated with perceived language gains more than other-directedness. Due to its potential to support the multi-dimensional development of international students, we recommend SL EAP and make pedagogical suggestions.

This article describes an investigation into the learning outcomes that transferred from a university content-based English for academic purposes (EAP) course to other courses and the factors that influenced that transfer. The study was a longitudinal qualitative case study in one faculty at a large North American university. Data were collected over one academic year through multipronged assessment measures from five first-year students who were participating in a content-based EAP course concurrently with other first-year university courses, as well as from two instructors of the content-based EAP course, 16 instructors of other courses, and one administrator. Data included interview transcripts, participant journals, class observation notes, and samples of course work. Evidence emerged to indicate that learning transfer did occur from the content-based EAP course to the students' other courses. The learning transfer fell into six broad categories that reflected a range of academic language skills (e.g., listening comprehension skills, writing skills) and other learning outcomes (e.g., study skills). The transfer of these learning outcomes was influenced by eight factors (e.g., requirements for learning transfer in activities in other courses, similarity between the content-based EAP course and other courses). Implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses in Bangladeshi private universities are positioned to equip non-native undergraduate students with the required academic language skills needed for English Medium Instruction (EMI) education. However, these courses have frequently adopted generic language proficiency models, neglecting students’ academic and disciplinary literacy needs. Moreover, the paucity of studies on EAP leaves a critical lapse in understanding what changes are required, given this misalignment. Guided by Brown’s Needs Analysis framework (2016), this qualitative study investigated non-native undergraduate students’ perceptions and experiences of EAP courses at a Bangladeshi private university offering EMI education, focusing on its method of instruction, the barriers they face and the alignment of its content with their academic and professional needs. Thematic analysis of forty-five semi-structured interviews and document analysis of EAP course syllabi revealed a misalignment between current EAP courses and students' academic and professional needs. The development of academic writing for disciplinary courses is unfulfilled, suggesting a need for a more targeted EAP curriculum. The study identifies students’ needs as systemic failures rather than linguistic deficits and challenges the generic EAP implementation in non-native higher education contexts like Bangladesh. It concludes that context-driven curricular reform, incorporation of skill-oriented content, and enhanced pedagogic practices can make current EAP courses to be needs-responsive. Additionally, teacher training in discipline-specific pedagogy is crucial for an equitable EAP redesign as it would better align with non-native students’ academic language and professional needs.

Extensive reading (ER) has been shown to be an effective approach in helping second language (L2) students learn to read the target language. Of particular interest is how L2 learners in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses that included ER would react to ER since ER involves L2 learners reading easy, interesting books that they select themselves. We examined the reactions of 57 EAP university students to ER. The study was conducted longitudinally for two semesters in Fall 2017 and Spring 2018, where two groups of learners read online books for ten and twelve weeks respectively. We used the Xreading Library, an online subscription-based graded-reader library that allows students unlimited access to more than 1000 books on their computers, tablets or mobile devices. We gathered both quantitative and qualitative data to determine the extent to which online ER affected the learners’ attitudes toward reading in English, their academic reading, and English proficiency in general and their instructor’ reactions to Xreading. The study revealed that L2 learners’ reading attitudes were significantly improved after reading graded readers online. The results also suggested that, in general, the learners felt that their reading rates, vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, writing and speaking were all improved through online ER. Though learners perceived the effects of online ER on their academic reading differently, the instructors held positive attitudes toward online ER.

This article describes an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for Chinese Master of Business Administration (MBA) students. Unequal English language learning opportunities overseas means that many otherwise excellent candidates are denied access to graduate programs at Canadian universities. Consequently, the Second Language Institute at the University of Ottawa decided to make ESL training estimates based on scores from the Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees (CanTEST) for a group of Chinese applicants to the University of Ottawa's MBA program. Thirty-four candidates participated in an innovative EAP course that combined teaching language, study, and acculturation skills, whereas some candidates were also required to complete 240 to 480 hours of Intensive Four Skills English before undertaking the EAP course. Successful completion of the EAP course constituted fulfilling the requirements for admission into the MBA program. Teaching staff from both the Faculty of Administration and the Second Language Institute provided input into the EAP course.

The paper aims to explore sustainability from both the external and internal perspectives underpinning the implementation of the empirical study within an English for Academic Purposes course at a Master level in the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is based on the methodology of the development of the system of the external and internal perspectives. The exploratory type of the case study was employed. The interpretive paradigm was used in the research. The observation was conducted on the 23rd August 2020. The sample was composed of the 10 international students of the Master programme “Information and Electrical Engineering” at Hochschule Wismar, Germany. The theoretical research defines the external and internal sustainability. The empirical finding is that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the organizational aspect of the English for Academic Purposes course (timetable, classroom arrangements, group work organization). Another finding is that the implemented English for Academic Purposes course is partially sustainable and requires its dynamic equilibrium and localized robustness to be adjusted. Implications for higher education aimed at increasing both the external and internal sustainability in education imply the implementation of the combination of evaluation, namely external evaluation, mutual evaluation, and self-evaluation, jointly carried out by all the process participants.

Faculty and Librarians' Partnership: Designing a New Framework to Develop Information Fluent Future Doctors

As the number of international students in South Korean universities increases, top-tiered institutions are gradually adopting English-Medium Instruction (EMI) policies without considering the linguistic diversity of these students (Lee & Lee, 2018). Similarly, my English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses were initially designed to be solely conducted in English, assuming that it would be the most effective medium of instruction. However, this English-only approach created tensions between academic and local language practices, which affected language use in my classes. These tensions mainly arise from the differences between students' local language practices and the language used in academia, making it challenging for EAP instructors to design courses that cater to both Korean and international students. To address these gaps, this autoethnographic case study draws on the frameworks of EAP, translanguaging, and action research. The study explores the challenges faced in EAP classes at a regional Korean university and how a bilingual Korean-English instructor addressed them. Throughout one semester in 2022, I conducted action research and redesigned my EAP course to create a translanguaging space for multilingual students. The findings revealed that English-only practices hindered students' ability to fluidly switch between languages, limiting their proficiency in using English for everyday and academic communication (Canagarajah, 2011). Monolingual values embedded in EAP courses also hindered meaningful communication among students with different language backgrounds. To address these challenges, a transition from English-only to multilingual practices was necessary in EAP courses, requiring the development of pedagogical approaches that activate students' multilingual resources in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. This study suggests the need for more action research in EAP and EFL settings to improve classroom teaching practices and enhance students' learning experiences (Efron & Ravid, 2019).