Erasmus Teacher And Student Mobility As A Tool For Improving Study Course Quality
Author(s):
Ieva Rudzinska (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2014
Network:
10. Teacher Education Research
Format:
Paper (Copy for Joint Session)

Session Information

10 SES 07 E JS, Teachers Involvement in Educational Effectiveness

Paper Session, Joint Session NW 10 and NW 11

Time:
2014-09-03
17:15-18:45
Room:
B231 Sala de Aulas
Chair:
Peter Gray
Discussant:
Samuel Gento

Contribution

Erasmus program aims to provide knowledge, experience and insights, which only contacts with other countries can bring.

European students overall value positively experience, learning infrastructure and social integration, as well as improvement of their language skills and learning new languages (Souto-Otero, McCoshan, 2006). They also report having developed new understanding about studies, work and host country.

Students gain European dimension of their studies through teaching by teachers with different education and culture, different teaching methodology and possibility of contact and explore new topics (Patsikas, 2013).

In the research carried out in Latvia (Apsalone, 2012) outbound and incoming students admit gaining new knowledge, improving language skills, getting to know other cultures, obtaining another view at values in life.

However, incoming students also admit that it was difficult to get integrated in Latvian society, make friends with Latvian students. Outbound students made a remark that Integration was better, if the students lived together with host country students. Outbound and incoming students also stated that sometimes teachers paid no or little attention to Erasmus students, participating in their classes. Most Erasmus students prefer to study together with host institution students; however some teachers due to their own unsatisfactory foreign language knowledge offer them to study only individually. The quality of studies in this case in their opinion decreases.

As the main benefits and drawbacks of Erasmus academic and general staff respondents in Latvia mentioned “new skills and experience - preparing lectures and lecturing abroad, experience exchange, acquiring valuable information, need to overcome oneself, if there are problems in communication, need to understand other nations and their traditions in a short period of time” (Interim Evaluation, 2011).

A research, carried out 10 years later (Mūžizglītības programma, 2003) reported very high academic and general staff satisfaction with Erasmus visits, explaining it, among other causes, with high correlation between visit aims and their outcomes. Other reason for high satisfaction with Erasmus teacher mobility is high professionalism of Erasmus teachers. However, there is little evidence on how students evaluate Erasmus lectures, what is Erasmus teacher influence of study course quality in host and also home higher education institutions.

Therefore, our objective is to evaluate the impact of Erasmus teacher mobility on ESP (English for Specific Purposes) study course quality from different perspectives (Erasmus teachers in home and host institutions, Erasmus students in host institutions), using already established and introducing new quality indicators.

As the basis for the assessment of quality in a single study course served quality system, developed on the basis of European Guidelines (the EFQM Excellence Model (EFQM), The Common European Framework for Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR), etc.) by several EU education scientists (Lasnier, 2003, Iske/Meder, 2009; Rudzinska, 2008-2012).

Main qualities of study courses in the abovementioned models are study adequacy, deepness, individual learning, student cooperation and course attractivity.

Along these criteria are evaluated three stages of course development: course aim setting forward, course process and course results. Process embraces teacher activity (different methods and study materials), student activity, assessment, student and lecturer well being in classes. Course results, among other aspects, deal with student and teacher satisfcation.

We will examine how Erasmus classes influence course quality within the described quality model.

The base of the models are mostly learners and teachers, although staff members, employees and society in general can also be considered.

Method

Methods. In the research are used mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods. Survey consists of 11 statements about how safe students felt during ESP classes, whether the atmosphere of the class was friendly; about the improvement of their cooperation skills with other students and the improvement of their foreign language knowledge (pronunciation, new words, new terms, new knowledge about other countries), language use skills (reading, speaking, listening and writing) and on foreign language knowledge and skills based competencies, including intercultural competence. Answers were provided in 4-point Likert scale (completely agree, agree, disagree, completely disagree). Qualitative data were obtained from interviews with students and lecturers, and student created Erasmus mobility motivation letters. Respondents (students and teacher) were from 3 EU HEIs: Latvian Academy of Sport Education, Kaunas Sport University and Wroclaw school of Physical Education. In the research these HEIs were assigned numbers from 1 to 3. two teachers, whose classes were evaluated, were assigned letters A and B. Research was conducted in three year period (from academic year 2011/2012 to 2013/2014 ) in ESP (English for specific Purposes) study course. In written survey participated 52 students, who formed 3 independent groups: 1) lecturer A class in institution 1 (her home institution), 2) lecturer A Erasmus class in institution 2 (host institution), 3) lecturer B class in institution 1 (host institution). Lecturer A class in institution 1 was held in the form of experiment, with an aim to find out whether students in her home and in Erasmus host institution evaluate the quality of her class differently or not. Besides, 29 institution A and C students gave free answers about the quality of Erasmus class. Erasmus classes were also discussed within two groups of about 15 students in each, four to six students actively participating in the discussion. the discussion was recorded with the help of Dictaphone and further was carried out its content analysis. Five Erasmus teachers shared their reflections on the same issue; their ideas were also recorded and further analyzed as to their content. To determine whether to use parametric or non-parametric statistics, was applied Runs, which automatically compares observed data to hypothesized, using Kolomogorov-Smirnov, Chi-Square or Binomial test (depending on data). Runs found that o hypothesis should be rejected, and should be used non-parametric statistics. Therefore Mann-Whitney test was used to find differences, if any, in student evaluation of the quality of Erasmus classes.

Expected Outcomes

The developed ESP study course quality scale reliability is 0.80 (11 indicators). It could be improved by deleting indicators: how_safe_felt students during Erasmus class, learned_new_terms and improved_cooperation skills, but we have retained them due to considering being important. Descriptive analysis show that Erasmus lectures and classes have improved all course quality aspects: feeling safe in classes - the highest median (3.5 from 4), and mode (4-completely agree), language knowledge, language use skills, cooperation among students. Closest statistically significant correlations (Sig<0.05) were found between the improvement of language use skills and language knowledge and language use skills. Mann-Whitney test for independent groups showed that there exists statistically significant differences (Sig.<0.05) in student opinion about new_facts_learned in two different Erasmus teacher classes in two different Erasmus host institutions (groups 2 and 3); reading_improved in teacher A experimental class at home institution and teacher B Erasmus class in host institution (groups 1 and 3); listening_improved in groups 2 and 3. Differences in the evaluation of lecture_interesting exist both between groups 2 and 3 (Sig.<0.1) and between groups 1 and 3 (Sig.<0.05). Thus, most differently respondents have evaluated attractivity of classes – the same lecture read in home HEI is not so interesting as in host HEI. In their free answers students often write: Thanks for lecture. When will this teacher come again? Content analysis of qualitative data shows that students consider Erasmus classes more interesting and more fun than regular classes. Although they admit having not understood everything, they emphasize having learned not only language, but also about other countries and their practices. Considering course quality model can be concluded that Erasmus classes have improved all 3 stages of course implementation: planning, process and results. Also base has widened: teachers, students, employers and the society are not one institution or country bound.

References

1. Apsalone M., Maculeviča S. „Studentu apmierinātība ar Erasmus mobilitātes aspektiem” (Student satisfaction with Erasmus mobility aspects), ESN- Rīga un VIAA pētījums, 2012, Erasmus student network, http://www.viaa.gov.lv/files/news/13659/44851_erasmus_book_2_.pdf., accessed: 20.01.2014. 2. Iske S., Meder N., Evaluating the Quality of Online-Courses based on the Relational Quality Criteria Catalogue (RQCC), EERA: Network Sessions at ECER 2009, http://www.eera-ecer.eu./publication/database/conference/2009/.. accessed: 10.12.2009. 3. Lasnier J.C., Quality, Version 2003, http://www.quiltnetwork.org, 2003, accessed: 5.05.2007. 4. Mūžizglītības programma, VIAA. Erasmus akadēmiskā un vispārējā personāla apmierinātība ar mobilitāti: pieredze, ieguvumi un ietekme, 2013 (Life-long education programme, State Education Development Agency of Latvia . Erasmus academic and general staff satisfaction with mobility: experience, gains and influence) http://www.viaa.gov.lv/lat/muzizglitibas_programma/erasmus/erasmus_info_materiali/petijumi_erasmus/, accessed: 20.01.2014. 5. Patsikas S., Aspridis G., Kazantzi V. The Erasmus Student Mobility Program and Its Contribution to Multicultural Education: The Case of Technological Education Institute of Thessaly, Journal of Educational and Social Research, Vol. 3 No. 3, September 2013, accessed: 30.01.2014. 6. Interim Evaluation of the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007 – 2009 in Latvia, National Report, May, 2011, [PDF] izm.izm.gov.lv/upload_file/.../Interim_report_LLP_LV_.p...‎, accessed: 30.01.2014. 7. Rudzinska I. „The use of quality models for assessing test quality in professional foreign language course”, Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Cádiz, Spain, 18-21 September 2012, Education-line http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/214605.pdf. 8. Rudzinska I. Basic Characteristics of Quality System for ESP Courses in Higher Education Institutions, Vilniaus universiteto Kauno humanitarinis fakultetas, Žmogus kalbos erdvėje, 5 (2),Kaunas 2009, pp.84-96. 9. Rudzinska I. Teacher contribution to educational quality in an ESP study course, Paper presented at ECER 2008 scientific conference on Educational Research, University of Goteborg, 10-12 September 2008), Education-line http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/174978.pdf. 10. Rudzinska I., “Meeting the Challenge of Evaluating the Quality of a Professional Foreign Language Study Course”, Paper presented at ECER-EERA European Conference on Educational Research 2011 “Urban Education”, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, September 12 -16, 2011, Education-line http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/186959.pdf. 11. Rudzinska I., „Assessment challenges in an ESP course” In S. Orthaber and P. Vičić (eds.) Proceedings CD of the international language conference “The importance of learning professional foreign languages for communication between cultures”, Celje, Slovenia, University of Maribor, Faculty of Logistics, 2010. 12. Souto-Otero, M. and McCoshan, A., 2006. Survey of the Socio-Economic Background of ERASMUS Students. Final report to the European Commission.

Author Information

Ieva Rudzinska (presenting / submitting)
Latvian Academy of Sport Education, Latvia

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