“Improvisation is not allowed in a second language”: A survey of Italian lecturers’ concerns about teaching their subjects through English
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Francesca Helm
Francesca Helm is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies at the University of Padova, where she teaches Advanced English in the Master’s Degree courses. She co-ordinated the LEAP project in collaboration with the University Language Centre and has worked on EMI professional development in Austria as well as Italy. Her research interests are in computer-mediated communication, online intercultural exchange, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), English Medium Instruction and internationalization.
and
Marta Guarda
Marta Guarda is an assistant researcher at the University of Padova, where she collaborates with the Language Centre in the LEAP project. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and English Studies, and is particularly interested in English Medium Instruction, internationalization, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), intercultural communication and telecollaboration.
Abstract
English-medium instruction (EMI) is increasingly being introduced not only in universities in northern Europe but also in central and southern countries, such as Italy. However, the competences and concerns of the lecturers involved are not always considered when such developments are introduced, and support or training may not be offered. This paper reports on a survey on EMI to which 115 lecturers in a public university in northern Italy responded. The survey was carried out by the university’s Language Centre as part of the LEAP (Learning English for Academic Purposes) Project, which was developed to support lecturers in EMI. The survey sought to identify what the lecturers perceived as their strengths and weakness in English, their concerns, and also their evaluations of the experience of teaching through English if they had any. The findings discussed in this paper shed light on the needs of lecturers who are involved in EMI, which relate to methodology as well as language issues. The implications of this for European university language centres intending to support EMI at their universities are discussed in the conclusion.
About the authors
Francesca Helm is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies at the University of Padova, where she teaches Advanced English in the Master’s Degree courses. She co-ordinated the LEAP project in collaboration with the University Language Centre and has worked on EMI professional development in Austria as well as Italy. Her research interests are in computer-mediated communication, online intercultural exchange, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), English Medium Instruction and internationalization.
Marta Guarda is an assistant researcher at the University of Padova, where she collaborates with the Language Centre in the LEAP project. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and English Studies, and is particularly interested in English Medium Instruction, internationalization, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), intercultural communication and telecollaboration.
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©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- The Common European Framework of Reference down under: A survey of its use and non-use in Australian universities
- C2+-DaF-Lernende reflektieren über eine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung – ist diese vor dem Hintergrund der postulierten funktionalen Mehrsprachigkeit in Alltag und Beruf künftig noch gefragt?
- The habitat factor in ELF(A) – English as a Lingua Franca (in Academic settings) – and English for Plurilingual Academic Purposes
- “Improvisation is not allowed in a second language”: A survey of Italian lecturers’ concerns about teaching their subjects through English
- What should be explicit in explicit grammar instruction?
- Approaches to assessment in CLIL classrooms: Two case studies
- Integrated learner support through language advising: Initial experiences and considerations at Padova University Language Centre
- Enhanced awareness and its translation into action: A case study of one learner’s self-directed language learning experience
- Language centre teachers as researchers: The case of Finland
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- The Common European Framework of Reference down under: A survey of its use and non-use in Australian universities
- C2+-DaF-Lernende reflektieren über eine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung – ist diese vor dem Hintergrund der postulierten funktionalen Mehrsprachigkeit in Alltag und Beruf künftig noch gefragt?
- The habitat factor in ELF(A) – English as a Lingua Franca (in Academic settings) – and English for Plurilingual Academic Purposes
- “Improvisation is not allowed in a second language”: A survey of Italian lecturers’ concerns about teaching their subjects through English
- What should be explicit in explicit grammar instruction?
- Approaches to assessment in CLIL classrooms: Two case studies
- Integrated learner support through language advising: Initial experiences and considerations at Padova University Language Centre
- Enhanced awareness and its translation into action: A case study of one learner’s self-directed language learning experience
- Language centre teachers as researchers: The case of Finland
