Subject-specific Language Research Articles

Identifying language requirements of pre‑scientific writing for learners in science education using a task‑based needs analysis

Abstract In science, subject-specific languages have a communicative and epistemic function. Thus, in science education learners need to both learn the language of science and learn through this specific language. Based on the assumption that learning subject-specific languages can be compared to second language acquisition, the study transfers Task-based Language Teaching to science education and explores the language needs of Austrian upper secondary school learners in science education when writing a Pre-Scientific Paper (PSP), using multiple methods (semi-structured interviews, online questionnaires) and data sources (curriculum, learners, teachers). The study reveals pre-scientific writing as a relevant overall task, identifies over 30 target tasks, describes subject-specific linguistic challenges students face when performing these tasks and shows how they are supported in their pre-scientific writing skills. Altogether, the paper shows the importance of having a more regular and systematic implementation of subject-specific language tasks in upper secondary science education.

Linguocultural Aspects of PR Translation in the Modern World

The present study deals with the topical issue of professional public relations (PR) terminology translation into the Russian language. The discipline and the field of professional activity, which emerged in Russia in the late 1980s, still poses lots of problems in terms of translation. The aim of the study is to reveal what translation procedures are applicable in rendering subject specific terminology into the target language with the absence of equivalents in the professional field. The novelty lies in the disclosure of translation features as well as translation procedures applied to PR terminology with special attention to linguistic and extralinguistic factors. The methods of comprehensive analysis of English PR terms, comprising the general scientific method, the communicative method, the method of comparative analysis, the dictionary definitions method, as well as the method of translation adequacy and the method of analysis of translation procedures and transformations have allowed to reveal the peculiarities of PR terms’ meanings and their functioning in the English professional discourse to be rendered into the Russian language. The findings illustrate the most adequate procedures to be used for the purpose of rendering PR terms and terminology as units of specific meaning into the target language. The conclusion drawn from the study postulates that along with the borrowing of PR terminological field, the English cultural and conceptual worldview was also adopted to produce a hybrid professional worldview sharing similar PR subject specific language units, which is a great advance towards English as a global language.

‘Definitions did not effectively help my students’: Pre-service teachers’ language modification strategies in Thai language-driven CLIL classrooms

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) requires a synthesis of language and content teaching. However, language teachers who are employed to teach CLIL may lack the preparation and knowledge to teach other curriculum subjects. It is therefore necessary to understand how language CLIL teachers make subject-specific language comprehensible to students when they themselves are unfamiliar with subject-specific terms and concepts. However, no research has yet been conducted to explore this in the Thai context. To address this gap, this article presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring pre-service teachers’ use of language modification as negotiation of meaning (NoM) strategies to make accessible subject-specific terms or concepts in the target language to students. Data are drawn from language-driven CLIL classroom video observations and stimulated recall interviews with six pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) at two Thai secondary schools. The findings show that the participants used various language modification strategies, including definitions, elaboration and simplification, recognizing both the affordances and limitations of these strategies. It is concluded that the capacity to flexibly employ a range of strategies, responsive to the content and students’ comprehension is needed for effective language-driven CLIL practice. We offer practical recommendations for language-driven CLIL practice and professional development to enhance teachers’ language awareness and understanding of how language strategies can be used to support NoM in a language-driven CLIL setting.

Inclusive STEM Teaching from a Language Perspective: Teacher Learning in a Professional Development Program

Worldwide, pupils with migrant backgrounds do not participate in school STEM subjects as successfully as their peers. Migrant pupils’ subject-specific language proficiency lags behind, which hinders participation and learning. Primary teachers experience difficulty in teaching STEM as well as promoting required language development. This study investigates how a professional development program (PDP) focusing on inclusive STEM teaching can promote teacher learning of language-promoting strategies (promoting interaction, scaffolding language and using multilingual resources). Participants were five case study teachers in multilingual schools in the Netherlands (<i>N</i> = 2), Sweden (<i>N </i>= 1) and Norway (<i>N</i> = 2), who taught in primary classrooms with migrant pupils. The PDP focused on three STEM units (sound, maintenance, plant growth) and language-promoting strategies. To trace teachers’ learning, three interviews were conducted with each of the five teachers (one after each unit). The teachers also filled in digital logs (one after each unit). The interviews showed positive changes in teachers’ awareness, beliefs and attitudes towards language-supporting strategies. However, changes in practice and intentions for practice were reported to a lesser extent. This study shows that a PDP can be an effective starting point for teacher learning regarding inclusive STEM teaching. It also illuminates possible enablers (e.g., fostering language awareness) or hinderers (e.g., teachers’ limited STEM knowledge) to be considered in future PDP design.

Moodle and Telegram to develop students’ language performance and knowledge co-construction in technology-enhanced CLIL

This study compared Moodle and Telegram as mobile-instant messaging (MIM) to understand how the platforms performed in technology-enhanced content and language integrated learning (TECLIL) settings. It involved 68 English for Academic Purpose (EAP) students enrolled in two groups, i.e., Moodle group and Telegram group. Using the mixed-method design, the study garnered quantitative data through pre- and post-tests of language performance coupled with post-tests of spoken presentation, content knowledge, and collective knowledge co-construction. Qualitative data concerning the interaction patterns in online discussion forums were amassed by retrieving students’ postings on both platforms. This study garnered additional quantitative data as covariates, which involved a survey of technology acceptance and a survey of teacher evaluation. Upon analysis, paired sample t-test was operative to identify noteworthy differences between groups with respect to technology acceptance, evaluation of teacher performance, language performance, and content knowledge. For the qualitative inquiry, thread analysis on the interaction patterns in both groups was conducted to scrutinize their depth of knowledge co-construction. Although the interaction trends in both platforms mark the dominance of knowledge sharing, the findings lend credence to the stronger potential of Moodle to empower students’ in-depth knowledge co-construction while exercising their subject-specific language performance. For deep engagement in knowledge co-construction and authentic language use, teachers need to provide appropriate scaffolding through modeling effective collaboration, making explicit the characteristics of quality discussion, and establishing a mutual understanding of what students need to achieve in the online discussion forum.

Subject-language perspectives on multilingual students learning in science

In this study, we have explored the ways in which small-group work in science can contribute to strengthen multilingual students’ subject language and conceptual development when working with language-oriented classroom activities in primary classrooms. The aim is to determine whether it is possible to identify factors in interactions in small-group work that strengthen and facilitate the students’ language development. We have focused on how students orally formulate themselves when describing observations, hypotheses, and explanations of certain scientific experiments on the properties of air. An important starting point has been that students’ successive development of a subject-specific language is crucial for their conceptual development and understanding. The analyses of the dialogues have made it possible to study how individual students gradually develop their way of expressing themselves by taking over others’ expressions and word choices and making their own. The analysis also shows that these dialogical situations are crucial for all students to develop their language use in science, primarily through probing a more precise way of expressing themselves and putting their scientific ideas and thoughts into words. An important conclusion is that students should be offered opportunities and space to develop their subject language register in science and that this is important for all students, but crucial for those for whom the language of instruction is a second language.

Das werden-Passiv in Schulbüchern der Chemie

Abstract The competent use of the specific language of school subjects is fundamental for successful learning and teaching in school. For a language-sensitive design of lessons and empirical foundation of didactic and methodical concepts, knowledge of how students read a text is needed as well as evidence-based knowledge of formal and functional aspects of subject-specific language. A corpus analysis confirms that the passive is a prototypical construction in chemistry textbooks. Thus the competent handling of those sentences is a relevant aspect of subject-specific language competence. The verbs used in the passive sentences in books included in the corpus are predominantly morphologically complex, and can be indicated as chemistry-specific lexis, e. g. related to the sub-microscopic level. Furthermore, they are commonly used in conjunction with abstract agents. On the other hand, these verbs are also encountered to students in everyday (i. e. non-subject-specific) contexts but in these contexts they diverge semantically and are commonly used in conjunction with a human agent. Therefore, the function of the passive sentences differs: While passive sentences with a human agent allow an expression of anonymised actions, the passive sentences with abstract agents enable the verbalisation of abstract processes. The distribution of those functional distinction differs between school subjects and contexts. Abstract agents in passive sentences can support the maintenance of pre-instructional concepts of students, especially if the verbs are not obviously specific for the context of chemistry. Therefore, a specific language-education for school subjects is needed which includes the analysis of formal and functional aspects. The results of the corpus analysis can be used for context-based scaffolding in language-sensitive chemistry lessons.

Investigating subject-specific writing skills and historical reasoning in historical explanations: a study of 7th- and 8th-grade comprehensive school students in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The purpose of this study was to examine the writing skills of 7th- and 8th-grade students with a high proportion of migration background in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The study was part of the SchriFT project (2017–20), funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. A writing task was given on the topic: Why can we only make assumptions about many past events? As an answer to the task, the students had to write a historical explanation that took into account the epistemological principles of historical reasoning. The students’ writing was analysed using a category system, and their historical knowledge was assessed through a knowledge test. The results showed that the students possess diverse levels of writing skills, with few producing elaborate explanations, and most struggling with the subject-specific language and reasoning skills. The study also highlights the potential for genre-based writing approaches in history education. The results suggest that many students perceive history as an image of the past and have limited understanding of historical reasoning. Further research is needed to investigate the influence of motivation and interest on language learning.

Language in primary and secondary geography education: a systematic literature review of empirical geography education research

Academic language in geography education has attracted attention due to the increasing linguistic heterogeneity in most classrooms. Considering that subject-specific language differs from the language students use in their everyday lives, language-aware geography education contributes to addressing subject-specific language demands. However, there seems to be little empirical research and no systematic overview available concerning this topic. Thus, the aim of this study is to systematically review publications that empirically researched language in geography education to provide a synthesized state of knowledge for future research in this field. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, a final selection of 38 studies from three literature databases–Web of Science, ProQuest, and Scopus–were analyzed in this study. The empirical studies were categorized with reference to their subject-specific themes, concepts of space, and working methods, as well as the examined language. The main findings showed that the studies primarily examined language at the text/discourse level and in the written language mode. Particularly, the studies predominately investigated reading skills. Furthermore, physical geographical themes were at the center of the set of publications. This systematic review has both theoretical and practical implications for future research on the role of language in geography education research.

Multimodality and English for Special Purposes: Signification and Transduction in Architecture and Civil Engineering Models

The applied disciplines of architecture and civil engineering require students to communicate multimodally, and to manipulate meaning across media and modes, such as image, writing or moving image. In their disciplinary studies for example, students must be able to transform the language of lectures and textbooks into models and diagrams. In their future workplaces, they will commonly be required to transform reports and legal documents into floor plans and digital & physical 3D models. Such multimodal literacy, however, is not typically reflected in their related subject-specific English language courses, especially in Germany, where a text-centric approach is favored. To better reflect the demands placed upon them, students in two courses of English for Architecture and Civil Engineering were tasked with creating digital, multimodal artifacts to explain a concept from either of these fields to a lay audience. The resultant artifacts used a wide variety of semiotic resources to make meaning, including a total of 26 separate architectural and civil engineering models. This is a quantity sufficiently large enough to invite closer examination, and also reflects the important role models play in the fields of architecture and civil engineering, both at university and in the workplace. This paper suggests that models of this kind exist within a system of signs, in which meaning is created in the relationships between the signs. The process of transforming one resource into another also invites the consideration of the artifacts in terms of the notion of “transduction”, to discern how meaning changes between contexts, practices and modes and to contribute to existing literature on multimodal texts in tertiary education, particularly within a language-learning context.

Practical solution or missed opportunity? The impact of language of instruction on Dutch history teachers’ application of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)

Teaching history requires clear, detailed and subject specific language. History teachers teaching in a second language are confronted with students' second language limitations, which likely have an aggravating impact on their application of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). We analysed and compared 12 Dutch spoken and 12 English spoken paired history lessons in junior grades 7 and 9. Contrary to our expectation, we found a strong similarity of the teachers’ PCK application in both grades 7 and 9, irrespective of the used language. The PCK application in both grades and languages was of average quality, while the PCK used in grade 9 was more advanced.

Fostering subject teachers' integrated language teaching in technical vocational education: Results of a professional development program

This study reports on a Professional Development Program (PDP) designed to raise teachers' subject-specific language awareness (TSLA) as a relevant and specific element of their practical knowledge and improve their language integrated teaching behaviour. The design of the PDP was based on the interconnected model of teacher professional growth (Clarke & Hollingsworth, 2002). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and video-stimulated interviews. The PDP resulted in change in both teachers' subject-specific language awareness and related teaching behaviour. Teachers' sense of responsibility to address students' language learning appeared to be relevant for teachers' change of behaviour.

Konzeptualisierung und Messung der Qualität der adaptiven Lernunterstützung in Lernsituationen mit mathematischen Regelspielen im Kindergarten. Eine Studie in Deutschland und der Schweiz

ZusammenfassungDie Qualität der adaptiven Lernunterstützung ist wichtig für die Förderung des mathematischen Lernens von Kindergartenkindern. Entsprechend bedarf es geeigneter Instrumente zur Bewertung der Planung, Durchführung und Reflexion von mathematischen Lernangeboten im Kindergarten. Bestehende Instrumente berücksichtigen vor allem die mikro-adaptive (mathematische) Lernunterstützung, die den Fokus auf die Interaktion zwischen der Fachkraft und den Kindern legt. Die Qualität der makro-adaptiven (mathematischen) Lernunterstützung (Planung und Reflexion von Lernsituationen) wurde im Kindergarten bis jetzt noch nicht umfassend untersucht. Sie gewinnt jedoch im Hinblick auf die zunehmende Bedeutung von Bildungsplänen im Kindergarten und der damit verbundenen Förderung von fachbezogenen Kompetenzen an Bedeutung.Im Artikel wird erstens die Qualität von (mathematischer) Lernunterstützung in Regelspielsituationen im Kindergarten konzeptualisiert. Dabei wird die Qualität der makro-adaptiven von der mikro-adaptiven Lernunterstützung unterschieden. Letztere wird getrennt in fachunabhängige Unterstützungsqualität (Gruppenmanagement, emotionale Wärme) und in instruktionale, mathematikbezogene Unterstützungsqualität (Lernanregung, Verwendung Fachsprache). Zweitens wird ein Messinstrument (Rating) zur Analyse der Qualität der Lernunterstützung in mathematischen Lernsituationen vorgestellt. Dieses wurde zur Analyse von videografierten Regelspielsituationen und anschließenden Leitfadeninterviews von 145 pädagogischen Fachkräften aus Deutschland und der Schweiz eingesetzt. Pro Fachkraft standen zwei Videosequenzen und zwei Interviews zur Verfügung. Auf der Basis dieser Daten wird das Messinstrument hinsichtlich verschiedener Gütekriterien sowie des Einflusses der Ausbildung der Fachkräfte (akademisch, nicht akademisch) und des Bildungskontextes (Deutschland, Schweiz) analysiert. Die theoretisch angenommene Unterscheidung von Gruppenmanagement, emotionaler Wärme und instruktionaler Unterstützungsqualität lässt sich durch eine konfirmatorische Faktorenanalyse stützen. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen die Bedeutung des Einbezugs von Planung und Reflexion als Dimensionen von adaptiver Lernunterstützungsqualität.

Interrogating the contemporary english language needsfor the ICT industry in the namibian context

New digital technology advances throughout the globe are principally responsible for the impetus behind themodern information and communications technology (ICT) industry’s requirement for English language skills. Thereis a steady increase in highly computerized new machinery, each with more complex, difficult-to-understandinstruction manuals that demand a correspondingly high degree of linguistic proficiency. Thus, students studyingcomputer science need access to subject-specific English for both immediate usage and long-term careerdevelopment. Due to these constant changes and rapid advancements in the technology sector, it was essential toconduct research on the current needs of the ICT industry. It is essential for graduates and professionals in the ICTindustry to be able to communicate fluently with teams working in the same field but located in different parts ofthe world. This can be in the form of written manuals or conversation. The purpose of this study was to interrogatethe contemporary English language demands for the ICT industry and the necessary proficiency required ofundergraduate ICT majors. The theoretical underpinning of this research was the Material Design Model proposedby Hutchinson and Waters (1). A mixed-methods research approach was used. The total number of participantsthat took part were 170 (N= 170), thus that is what the sample size was based on. Using convenience sampling,a sample size of 118 was drawn. The results indicated that ICT students often lacked skills in essay writing. Thestudents’ lack of technical language skills seriously weakens the strength of their scientific argument. Studentsare recommended to attend subject-specific language courses in order to prepare for their present academicand future professional language demands. The study indicated that the existing curriculum for computer sciencestudents does not adequately prepare them for the kinds of work that would be available to them in the ICT sector.The study recommends utilizing education support professionals (ESP) professionals to teach English in Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses, with a focus on using examples from specializedjournals, magazines, and blog channels. The study concludes by suggesting that instructors of computer sciencelanguage be incentivized to increase their usage of specialized scholarly terminology in their classrooms.

Content and language integrated learning in technical vocational education: teachers’ practical knowledge and teaching behaviour

ABSTRACT This study investigates subject teachers’ practical knowledge and teaching behaviour regarding integrated language teaching in the context of vocational education. The emphasis was on the nature of teachers’ subject-specific language awareness and how they enact this awareness in their teaching practice. For this purpose, teachers in vocational education were interviewed and observed while teaching. The results reveal that teachers differ in their subject-specific language awareness. Some teachers are unaware of the relation between language and learning, while others are aware of this relation and feel responsible towards their students’ language proficiency. Teachers who feel this responsibility stimulate students’ active language use and use more advanced interaction strategies to promote students’ higher cognitive thinking. The results of this study indicate that raising subject teachers’ language awareness needs to be part of activities for teacher professional development.

Developing subject knowledge co-construction and specific language use in a technology-enhanced CLIL programme: effectiveness and productive patterns

ABSTRACT This study investigated Chinese bilingual learners’ subject knowledge co-construction and business English language use in a Technology-enhanced Content and Language Integrated Learning (TECLIL) programe. Four intact classes of Year One University business-major students were exposed to two different learning environments – a TECLIL project-based learning environment using Knowledge Forum (KF), and a CLIL project-based learning environment. Data included student oral business presentations, written business reports, subject knowledge test results, student KF server log information, and online interaction records. The results indicated that the TECLIL project-based learning classes outperformed the comparison classes on both subject concept learning and business English language use. The quantitative analysis found that students’ KF participation was associated with their content understanding and language development. Micro-level discourse analysis of students’ online discussion notes further revealed bilingual students’ productive discourse patterns in the TECLIL environment. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Predicting content proficiency through disciplinary-literacy variables in English-medium writing

The debate on the roles of language and literacy in the increasingly internationalised university contexts where disciplinary content is taught through the medium of English has been a matter of recent research concerns. Despite the limited focus on language and literacy in English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes, there is currently increasing recognition of the need for explicit awareness of subject-specific language and literacies to favour content learning. However, there is a paucity of empirical research that measures the impact of students’ disciplinary language and literacy skills on content achievement in EMI contexts. To address this issue, this paper analyses the relationship between the use of disciplinary-literacy variables related to the genre and specialized-language features of the laboratory report at the levels of text structure, cohesion, grammar, and vocabulary, and students’ content proficiency in English-medium writing in a Spanish undergraduate setting. Results show a positive relationship between the frequency of occurrence of certain disciplinary-literacy variables and students’ content proficiency. In particular, moves, cohesive devices, technical words, and passive voice appear as significant indicators of content proficiency in English-medium laboratory report writing. These findings strengthen the need to provide students with subject-specific language and literacy support for successful academic development in EMI courses.

Teaching Computer Science with CLIL Methodology

In this paper, methodological and organizational aspects of applying CLIL methodology in teaching computer science for students of universities are analyzed. It is shown that European countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada, where part of the curriculum has been taught in a foreign language for several decades, are most actively introducing content and language integration and promoting an interdisciplinary approach to education. CLIL methodology features and benefits are identified, namely, a comprehensive focus, stimulating learning environment, authenticity, active learning, gradual learning and collaboration. The peculiarity of CLIL methodology is that its use requires a stable elementary skill in the grammar of a foreign language, as well as knowledge of subject-specific language. In accordance with various conditions, CLIL model can be presented in various forms: it can be a full course of a foreign language discipline, a module from a specific topic area, a part of any course, a project, a laboratory workshop, and a research, too. The paper presents a plan for computer science lectures and labs in a foreign language, which contains seven stages, each of which is performed in English. Integration of computer science and teaching in English at the Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University is implemented using developed bilingual course program “Computer for beginners”. The course content includes a study of the material necessary for obtaining skills in using modern ICT and a personal computer using English glossary. Conclusions are drawn regarding conditions and principles of teaching computer science in a foreign language. The scientific novelty of the work is that for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the expediency of using CLIL methodology was carried out at the Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University. The practical significance of the work is that its results can be used for further implementation of content and language integration in Ukraine universities. The development of new content and language integrated courses with CLIL methodology for teaching courses in a foreign language is considered promising.

Support vector machine based aphasia classification of transcranial magnetic stimulation language mapping in brain tumor patients

Repetitive TMS (rTMS) allows for non-invasive and transient disruption of local neuronal functioning. We used machine learning approaches to assess whether brain tumor patients can be accurately classified into aphasic and non-aphasic groups using their rTMS language mapping results as input features. Given that each tumor affects the subject-specific language networks differently, resulting in heterogenous rTMS functional mappings, we propose the use of machine learning strategies to classify potential patterns of rTMS language mapping results. We retrospectively included 90 patients with left perisylvian world health organization (WHO) grade II-IV gliomas that underwent presurgical navigated rTMS language mapping. Within our cohort, 29 of 90 (32.2%) patients suffered from at least mild aphasia as shown in the Aachen Aphasia Test based Berlin Aphasia Score (BAS). After spatial normalization to MNI 152 of all rTMS spots, we calculated the error rate (ER) in each stimulated cortical area (28 regions of interest, ROI) by automated anatomical labeling parcellation (AAL3) and IIT. We used a support vector machine (SVM) to classify significant areas in relation to aphasia. After feeding the ROIs into the SVM model, it revealed that in addition to age (w = 2.98), the ERs of the left supramarginal gyrus (w = 3.64), left inferior parietal gyrus (w = 2.28) and right pars triangularis (w = 1.34) contributed more than other features to the model. The model’s sensitivity was 86.2%, the specificity was 82.0%, the overall accuracy was 85.5% and the AUC was 89.3%. Our results demonstrate an increased vulnerability of right inferior pars triangularis to rTMS in aphasic patients due to left perisylvian gliomas. This finding points towards a functional relevant involvement of the right pars triangularis in response to aphasia. The tumor location feature, specified by calculating overlaps with white and grey matter atlases, did not affect the SVM model. The left supramarginal gyrus as a feature improved our SVM model the most. Additionally, our results could point towards a decreasing potential for neuroplasticity with age.

Erratum to: The Role of General and Subject-specific Language Skills when Learning Mathematics in Elementary School

Erratum to: The Role of General and Subject-specific Language Skills when Learning Mathematics in Elementary School