Bridging the Linguistic and Affective Gaps: The Impact of a Short, Tailor-made Language Course on a Danish University Lecturer's Ability to Lecture with Confidence in English

TY - CHAP

T1 - Bridging the Linguistic and Affective Gaps

T2 - The Impact of a Short, Tailor-made Language Course on a Danish University Lecturer's Ability to Lecture with Confidence in English

AU - Westbrook, Peter Nils

AU - Henriksen, Birgit

PY - 2011/8

Y1 - 2011/8

N2 - This paper reports on a small-scale case study which follows an experienced Danish university lecturer during a tailor-made, one-to-one language course to improve her English language skills for lecturing, consisting of a five-week cycle of observed English-medium lectures and subsequent language feedback sessions. The study also includes a structured, in-depth interview with the informant, which yields very specific and rich data about how one lecturer feels about teaching in English, the informant’s own learning focus and the outcomes of a short language course. The aims of the study are fourfold, namely: 1) to describe the informant’s motivation for taking an English course; 2) to compare her affective and perceived linguistic needs with her objective needs; 3) to follow her own language focus areas during the course; and 4) to identify any subjective or objective gains she achieved from the course. The conclusions suggest that while the immediate observable linguistic gains on such a short course are relatively modest, what should not be overlooked are the significant ‘knock-on effect’ benefits relating to the informant’s affective needs. Furthermore, many of the informant’s direct quotes provide a ‘voice’ revealing the underlying feelings and attitudes about lecturing in English which serves to support findings in other broader studies conducted among lecturers at the University of Copenhagen and other universities in Europe. Finally, there is a call for universities to exercise caution in assuming that a shift from mother tongue to English medium lecturing will automatically be an easy and problem-free process.

AB - This paper reports on a small-scale case study which follows an experienced Danish university lecturer during a tailor-made, one-to-one language course to improve her English language skills for lecturing, consisting of a five-week cycle of observed English-medium lectures and subsequent language feedback sessions. The study also includes a structured, in-depth interview with the informant, which yields very specific and rich data about how one lecturer feels about teaching in English, the informant’s own learning focus and the outcomes of a short language course. The aims of the study are fourfold, namely: 1) to describe the informant’s motivation for taking an English course; 2) to compare her affective and perceived linguistic needs with her objective needs; 3) to follow her own language focus areas during the course; and 4) to identify any subjective or objective gains she achieved from the course. The conclusions suggest that while the immediate observable linguistic gains on such a short course are relatively modest, what should not be overlooked are the significant ‘knock-on effect’ benefits relating to the informant’s affective needs. Furthermore, many of the informant’s direct quotes provide a ‘voice’ revealing the underlying feelings and attitudes about lecturing in English which serves to support findings in other broader studies conducted among lecturers at the University of Copenhagen and other universities in Europe. Finally, there is a call for universities to exercise caution in assuming that a shift from mother tongue to English medium lecturing will automatically be an easy and problem-free process.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - parallel language use

KW - EAP

KW - language acquisition

KW - affective factors

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 1443829986

SN - 9781443829984

VL - 1

SP - 188

EP - 212

BT - Policies, Principles, Practices

A2 - Cancino, Rita

A2 - Dam, Lotte

A2 - Jæger, Kirsten

PB - Cambridge Scholars Press

CY - Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

ER -