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Academic self-regulation is a key factor for motivation and learning achievement. Yet with the large range of individual factors, this is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. This study of L2 Technical English students at two German universities explored learners’ expectations and motivations, in particular regarding self-regulation and self-efficacy via the individual’s time investment in self-led study. In an initial survey, learners (N=1646) reported on their English skill levels and anticipated learning habits. Complementarily, the retrospective survey investigated learners’ (N=796) actual behavior during the course, their perceptions of language skill improvement, and their satisfaction. The initial survey indicates a clear understanding that time investment in self-regulated study will lead to greater improvement, an outcome confirmed in the retrospective survey. Additionally, students who invested more time in their coursework were more satisfied with their achievement, although most learners acknowledge they should have studied more. The results verify that learners recognize the nexus between self-regulation and language skill improvement, yet university students are not satisfied with their capacity to self-regulate their language learning strategies. While differences in students’ skill levels and academic self-efficacy result in divergent degrees of progress, students of all types report benefits to their language skills when motivated to self-regulated study.
Forschung 2018
(2018)
Instructors of English for Special Purposes often describe the challenge of determining which specific content and competencies to address in their courses. After all, it is the focus on technical subject matter which students expect to differentiate engineering ESP from standard EFL. Yet ESP instructors, who frequently have a background in fields such as applied linguistics or education, often receive little input from technical specialists as to which specialist topics are most relevant to their target domain.
Our research indicates that ESP instructors in higher education can leverage a valuable resource to enrich teaching effectiveness: students who have already gained professional experience. As part of a longitudinal study at two universities of applied sciences (UAS) in southern Germany, engineering students at the beginning of their first semester of compulsory technical English participate in an online survey. The course participants provide relevant biographical information such as work experience and evaluate the perceived importance of a selection of skills and applications for a Technical English course.
The surveys, administered in October 2016 and October 2017 and encompassing nearly 1000 respondents, provide compelling insights. Analysis reveals conclusive correlations between the perceived importance of course components and students' declared level of previous work experience. Listening comprehension, reading comprehension, process description, and test and measurement are topics whose importance correlates positively with work experience level. In addition, there are clear trends relating work experience level with the importance of the reading and writing of technical documents as well as communication and interaction.
This data provides empirically-founded criteria for selecting the topics to include in the scope of a Technical English course for engineers, informed by the judgment of students with occupational experience. Additionally, recognizing that students with work experience have legitimate practitioner credibility allows instructors to identify and select relevant subject matter in concordance with experienced students' learning objectives. ESP learners will profit greatly from cultivating skills with proven practical applicability.
Die unterschiedlichen Bildungswege in der deutschen Sekundarstufe führen abhängig von der Schulform zu abweichenden Lernergebnissen der Englischkompetenzen. Doch in der Tertiärstufe werden die Bildungswege wieder zusammengeführt und die Absolvent(inn)en aller Schulformen befinden sich in einer gemeinsamen Lernumgebung. Die vorgestellte empirische Untersuchung von über 450 Studierenden an zwei bayerischen Fachhochschulen hinsichtlich des Bildungshintergrunds und der Sprachkompetenzen belegt, dass die Lernenden in den nunmehr gemeinsamen Englischkursen im Tertiärbereich über stark unterschiedliche Kompetenzniveaus verfügen. Die Daten zeigen eine ausgeprägte Kaskade im Kompetenzniveau basierend auf der früheren Sekundarschulform, wobei Studierende der vertieften allgemeinbildenden Schule (Gymnasium) ihre Qualifikationen höher einschätzen als Studierende von berufsbildenden Sekundarschulen (FOS und BOS). Obwohl in allen bayerischen Sekundarschulformen mindestens das GER-Niveau B2 als Standard für Schulabgänger festgelegt ist, geben in der Stichprobe von Studierenden an Fachhochschulen mehr als die Hälfte der Lernenden das Niveau B1 in mindestens einer der Fertigkeiten für Englisch an; und etwas mehr als 8% der Studierenden berichten ihre Selbsteinschätzung in jeder Fertigkeit als Niveau B1 oder niedriger. Die Ergebnisse lassen erkennen, dass ein breites Spektrum an Kompetenzniveaus von B1 bis C1 an den Fachohochschulen häufig endemisch ist, und dass die derzeitige Praxis, Englischkurse im Tertiärbereich für die idealisierten B2-Lernenden zu gestalten, den Bedürfnissen vieler Studierenden nicht ausreichend entgegenkommt.
Are you experienced? Technical and interpersonal communication prioritization in engineering ESP
(2017)
Academic self-regulation is a key factor for motivation and learning achievement. Yet with the large range of individual factors, this is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. This study of L2 Technical English students at two German universities explored learners’ expectations and motivations, in particular regarding self-regulation and self-efficacy via the individual’s time investment in self-led study. In an initial survey, learners (N=1646) reported on their English skill levels and anticipated learning habits. Complementarily, the retrospective survey investigated learners’ (N=796) actual behavior during the course, their perceptions of language skill improvement, and their satisfaction. The initial survey indicates a clear understanding that time investment in self-regulated study will lead to greater improvement, an outcome confirmed in the retrospective survey. Additionally, students who invested more time in their coursework were more satisfied with their achievement, although most learners acknowledge they should have studied more. The results verify that learners recognize the nexus between self-regulation and language skill improvement, yet university students are not satisfied with their capacity to self-regulate their language learning strategies. While differences in students’ skill levels and academic self-efficacy result in divergent degrees of progress, students of all types report benefits to their language skills when motivated to self-regulated study.
Media watchdog weblogs can play an important role in media accountability, provided that the bloggers are regularly active and have an appropriate awareness of their role in the media landscape. The following article examines the presence and influence of media watchblogs in selected nations, as well as the operators’ standards and perceptions of their roles. In semi-structured qualitative interviews, operators of watchblogs in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom discussed their perceptions of their role, their ethical guidelines, their financing and any conflicts of interest, and their projections for the future. The interviews reveal that most media watchbloggers do not interpret their role to be a Fifth Estate with a mandate to monitor the mass media. The watchbloggers are reluctant to accept and uphold formal ethical and quality criteria, and limitations on time and money make them unable to guarantee ongoing critical media analysis. For these reasons, media watchblogs are determined to be a weak instrument of media accountability.
English language skills are essential to professional communication in international engineering environments. Given the concomitant degree of specialization, university-level coursework in English for Specific Purposes is an essential component of engineering student preparation. This large-scale survey of university students of engineering in three European countries provides important insight into the most relevant language skills, with the goal of informing communicative, task-based curricula for Technical English courses.