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Language learning in higher education: Portuguese students’ voices

Reshaping Languages in Higher Education Conference 2014 Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton 9 th -10 th july 2014. Language learning in higher education: Portuguese students’ voices. Susana Pinto Research Centre “ Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers ”

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Language learning in higher education: Portuguese students’ voices

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  1. Reshaping Languages in Higher Education Conference 2014 Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton 9th-10thjuly 2014 Language learning in higher education: Portuguese students’ voices Susana Pinto Research Centre “DidacticsandTechnology in Education of Trainers” Department of Education, University of Aveiro Portugal

  2. Table of Contents Plurilingualism: value, competence, challenge, answer, pathway… The challenge of plurilingualism in European Higher Education The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education Conclusions and discussion

  3. I. Plurilingualism: value, competence, challenge, answer, pathway… • Social arguments (intercultural comprehension, Krumm, 2004; cohesion, peace and social justice, Imbernónet al., 2002; Crystal, 2004; UNESCO, 2009). • Cognitive arguments (bilingualism and intelligence, Peal & Lambert, 1962; learning strategies development, Jessner, 2008; pragmatic competence development, Bono, 2008; development of creativity and cognitive flexibility, Skutnabb-Kangas, 2002; European Commission, 2009; cognitive ageing delay, Bialystok et al., 2007). • Environmentalarguments(similarity between threats to cultural and biological diversities, Harmon, 1996; UNESCO, 2005;synergistic and interdependent relationship between cultural diversity and biodiversity, Skutnabb-Kangaset al., 2003; biocultural diversity, Maffi, 2005). • Economicarguments(development of plurilingual skills and economic development of countries and internationalization of companies, Feely & Winslow, 2006; Lüdi, 2009; relationship between plurilingual skills and employability, Lehtonen & Karjalainen, 2008).

  4. II. The challenge of plurilingualism in European Higher Education European Higher Education dimension – creation of an European Higher Education Area that contributes to a competitive and cohesive Europe: “competitiveness discourse”; employability; mobility. European Higher Education dimension and social cohesion, intercultural comprehension, peace and societies’ sustainable development “It is absolutely essential for languages to continue to be offered as part of university education and even to make them an integral part of it, whatever subject the student is specialising in” (Beacco & Byram, 2003: 99). Berlin Communiqué (2003)

  5. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education • Aim: to describe and discuss Higher Education students’ representations concerning the importance of language learning in Higher Education. • Data collection instrument: online questionnaire to all students (1st , 2ndand 3rd • cycles) attending the UA, during the academic year 2010/2011 (n.465):

  6. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis Cycles attended by the students 1st Cycle - 218 students attending 16 degrees: Basic Education (28,4%), Industrial Engineering and Management (12,4%), Economics (9,6%), Management(9,2%), Design (8,7%) and Communication Technologies(8,3%). 2nd Cycle - 131 attending 23 master degrees: Economics (10,7%), Industrial Engineering and Management (10,7%), Management (9,2%) e Tourism (8,4%), Multimedia Communication (8,4%) and Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering (7,6%). 3rd Cycle - 82 students attending 14 doctoral degrees: Didactics and Training (34%), Multimedia in Education (9,8%), Tourism (9,8%), Educational Sciences (8,5%), Industrial Engineering and Management (7,3%).

  7. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis Curricular integration of languages Curricular integration of languages/Cycle

  8. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis Which languages should integrate your degree programme?

  9. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis Representations of languages

  10. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis Representations of languages Languages as access to knowledge / Cycle

  11. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis Representations of languages Languages as economic and professional assets / Cycle

  12. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis • Representations of languages • Languages as not important curricular objects • It is not important to integrate language courses in curricula because: • Language courses are not necessary/priority in their programme (2nd and 3rd cycle students); • Language education is a responsibility of basic and secondary schooling; • The UA offers several extra-curricular language evening courses at the Department of Languages and Cultures.

  13. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis • Representations of languages • Languages as strategies to disseminate and internationalise scientific knowledge • English exclusively: “universal language of science” – 3rd Cycle students • Other languages: a barrier to the dissemination and internationalisation of scientific knowledge

  14. III. The study at the University of Aveiro: students’ voices on language learning in higher education - Data analysis • Representations of languages • Languages as instruments for constructing intercultural relationship • English, Spanish, French, German, Italian (1st Cycle students) – establishing intercultural relationships both in Portugal and abroad

  15. IV. Conclusions and Discussion • Most students consider important integrating language courses in higher education curricula (more than other institutional actors such as Degree Directors and training institutional actors; Ambrósio et al, in press; Pinto, 2012). • English as the main language allowing access to knowledge and access to employability; other languages (Spanish, French, German) as differentiator assets in the professional market. • Economic arguments - pragmatic perspective regarding the integration of languages in the curricula (languages as instrumental objects) • Social arguments almost not referred to • Cognitive and environmental arguments – absence

  16. IV. Conclusions and Discussion • Considering the perspective that HEIs should be perceived as multilingual spaces promoting plurilingualism as a value and a competence, the results show that: • it is important to show students (and other academic actors) that language learning should not solely rely on the individual’s academic and professional concerns, but should also promote other relationships with languages restrictive conception of language that mainly values languages instrumental dimension, stressed by the emergence of the post-industrial society where knowledge acquires a tremendous economic value (European Commission, 2012a; 2012b; 2013) - “discourse of (individual and institutional) competitiveness”

  17. IV. Conclusions and Discussion • Importance of listening to the students’ voices on higher education language policies • Students may play an important role in the planning and development of educational language policies since “they are sometimes more immediately aware of the importance of languages than university and faculty management” (Sárdi, 2005: n.p.) • Students as “partners in the decision-making process concerning the issues that form the content backbone of the course” (Vogel, 2001: 386).

  18. Bibliography AMBRÓSIO, S., ARAÚJO e SÁ, M. H., PINTO, S. & SIMÕES, A. R. (in press). Perspectives on educational language policy: institutional and students’ voices in Higher Education context. European Journal of Language Policy. BEACCO, J.-C. & BYRAM, M. (2003). Guide for the development of language education policies in Europe- from linguistic diversity to plurilingual education. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, Language Policy Division. BIALYSTOK, E., CRAIK, F. & FREEDMAN, M. (2007). Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia. Neuropsychologia, 45, 459-464. BONO, M. (2008). Ressources plurilingues dans l’apprentissage d’une troisième langue: aspects linguistiques et perspectives didactiques. Thèse de doctorat. Paris: Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. CRYSTAL, D. (2004). Creating a world of languages. In http://www.linguapax.org/congres04/pdf/crystal.pdf (10September 2008)). EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2013). European Higher Education in the World. Brussels, 11 July 2013, COM(2013) 499/2.http://ec.europa.eu/education/highereducation/ doc/com499_en.pdf (accessed 13 February 2013). EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2012a). Rethinking Education: Investing in Skills for Better Socioeconomic Outcomes. Strasbourg, 20 Nov. 2012, COM 669, final.http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/rethinking/com669_en.pdf (07 January 2013). EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2012b). Compact for Growth and Jobs. http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/compact_en.pdf(07 January 2013). FEELY, A. & WINSLOW, D. (2006). Talking sense, a research study of language skills management in major companies. London: CILT. HARMON, D. (1996). Losing species, losing languages: connections between biological and linguistic diversity. Southwest Journal of Linguistics, 15, 89-108. IMBERNÓN, F. (Coord.), MAJÓ, J., MAYER, M., ZARAGOZA, F., MENCHÚ, R. & TEDESCO, J. (2002). Cinco ciudadanías para una nueva educación. Barcelona: Graó. JESSNER, U. (2008). A DST model of multilingualism and the role of metalinguistic awareness. The Modern Language Journal, 92, 270-283. LEHTONEN, T. & KARJALAINEN, S. (2008). University graduates’ workplace language needs as perceived by employers. System, 36, 492-503. MAFFI, L. (2005). Biocultural diversity and sustainability. Ihttp://www.terralingua.org/publications/Maffi/18-Pretty-Ch18.pdfb (07December 2010). SKUTNABB-KANGAS, T. (2002). Why should linguistic diversity be maintained and supported in Europe?Some arguments. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. SKUTNABB-KANGAS, T., MAFFI, L. & HARMON, D. (2003). Sharing a world of difference: the Earth’s linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity. Paris: UNESCO. UNESCO (2005). Convenção sobre a protecção e a promoção da diversidade das expressões culturais. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001497/149742por.pdf (04 October2009). UNESCO (2009). Relatório mundial da UNESCO. Investir na diversidade cultural e no diálogo intercultural. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001847/184755POR.pdf (02 November2010).

  19. Obrigada! spinto@ua.pt

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