Students and the Educator's Co-operation as a Means of Development of Students' ESP Competence

Author(s):

Ineta Luka

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 06, Leadership and Participation for Educational Effectiveness

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-11

10:30-12:00

Room:

B1 133

Chair:

Ineta Luka

Contribution

The topicality of the present qualitative evaluation research is determined by the growing demands to employees’ professionalism, which set new requirements to education, stressing dialogue, co-operation, mutual understanding and creative activity (Alijevs, 2005; Fulans, 1999; McLaughlin, 1992; Rifkins, 2004). The main terms that describe the quality of higher education nowadays are “critical thinking, autonomous learning, lifelong learning, creativity, openness to changes, innovations, co-operation and teamwork, integration, partnership and flexibility” (Blūma, 2001:30). The contents of the study, learning, and the methods used and the requirements for an educator’s professionalism are changing. Studies are student-centred and oriented towards the holistic acquisition of study courses (Žogla, 2006). The research deals with the study of possibilities how to organize a student-centred pedagogical process that would help students to attain a high level of English for Special Purposes (ESP) competence, the ability to compete in labour market and to continuously develop themselves, at the same time promoting the development of educator’s professional pedagogical activity and the integration of ESP in studies. The goal of the paper is to present the qualitative evaluation research conducted in the field of development of tourism students’ ESP competence from September 2003 till November 2007. The object of the research is the development of students’ ESP competence. The paper introduces the designed English language curriculum and ESP competence development model that have been created based on the ideas derived from the action theory (Čehlova, 2002; Flick, 2004; Fullan, 2003; Freire, 1998; Klafki, 1992; Vigotskis, 2002) and social constructivism theory (Bruner, 1973; Kim, 2001; Klafki, 1992; Williams, Burden, 1999). The author analyses the factors that influence language learning and draws conclusions about the construction of knowledge in the language learning process. The paper also introduces the research conducted at designing the English language curriculum for tourism students and defining ESP competence, its components, criteria and indicators (Lūka, 2007a; 2007b; 2007c; 2004). The created English language curriculum corresponds to the theoretical conceptions of the theories analysed and to the requirements and recommendations of the EU (Commission staff working paper, 2002; Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, 2001) and offers proposals how to reach the importance of foreign languages in the studies at the same time not increasing credits for language courses. The paper analyses the model created for the development of tourism students’ ESP competence. The basis of the model is students’ experience and activity which corresponds to the conception of humanistic pedagogy. The model, which is based on the students and the educator’s mutual co-operation and which includes continuous needs analysis of the students and the industry’s needs during the course of studies, enables understanding the students’ wishes and learning styles, forming a micro-climate in the group, creating a favourable study environment, and forming continuous feedback, which, in its turn, helps selecting the most appropriate teaching aids and teaching-learning methods, as a result developing students’ ESP competence and the educator’s professional activity. The paper also sets proposals for future studies.

Method

Interpretative paradigm was chosen for the study. Its choice was determined by the researcher’s practical interests – the creation of holistic curriculum and the use of action theory and social constructivism theory in the research and their correspondence to interpretative paradigm. Qualitative evaluation research has been chosen, which best suits to the research question and the goal of the research. P. Mayring’s research design (Mayring, 2002:64) has been adapted and used in the research. The research design includes the following stages: exploration of the research context, description of the practice based on certain cases, creation of the model, justification of the criteria, generalization of the model, final evaluation and the result – a new theoretical construction. Theoretical (study of theoretical literature and sources) and empirical methods of the research – data obtaining methods (students and educators’ interviews, students and tourism employers’ surveys, students’ assessment and self-assessment, students’ tests) and qualitative and quantitative data processing methods have been used implementing AQUAD 6 software for qualitative data analysis and SPSS 15.0 software for quantitative data analysis. For qualitative data frequencies were determined (for interiews) and content analysis of the interviews and students' written works was done. Quantitative data analysis included determining frequencies, Chi Square value, applying Student's T test, Kruskal-Wallis’ H test and Wilcoxon’s T test, and Friedman's test depending on the stage of the research and the subjects included. In order to validate the gained data Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability statistics test and Item-Total statistics test were applied. Data triangulation at the end of the study also shows the data validity and reliability.

Expected Outcomes

•Construction of the knowledge is based upon an individual’s personal experience and social context, and it occurs in mutual co-operation between students and the educator. This co-operation is student-centred and it observes students’ interests and needs, promotes students’ motivation, develops their abilities, as well as observes students’ wish to study and work creatively, thus developing their competence. •In language learning the aim of the studies and the corresponding teaching-learning methods and teaching aids that have been chosen in co-operation between the students and the educator enable the students to attain the aim of the studies. The educator helps the students to improve their ESP competence, to develop the skill to use a language in different socio-cultural contexts; at the same time the educator is learning from the students acquiring knowledge in a specific professional field. •The created English language curriculum corresponds to the theoretical conceptions of needs analysis, curriculum and syllabus theories and to the requirements and recommendations of the EU. It shows a path from an idea to reality – how to reach the importance of foreign languages in the studies at the same time not increasing the time spent for language courses. •The designed curriculum motivates students to learn a language, as language competence is vital to study specialty courses. Thus language learning becomes a means of acquiring students’ profession; the language becomes an important component of tourism students’ professional competence. •The students’ ESP competence development model, which is based on the students and the educator’s mutual co-operation and which includes continuous needs analysis of the students and the industry’s needs during the course of studies, enables understanding the students’ wishes and learning styles, forming a micro-climate in the group, creating a favourable study environment, and forming continuous feedback, which, in its turn, helps selecting the most appropriate teaching aids and teaching-learning methods, as a result developing students’ ESP competence and the educator’s professional activity. It is suitable for the development of tourism students’ ESP competence as it observes the industry’s specific features. The model improves the students’ learning in order to develop their ESP competence.

References

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Author Information

Ineta Luka

School of Business Administration Turiba; University of Latvia

Foreign Languages

Riga

128

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