Internal stakeholders’ voices for overcoming the challenges presented by studying engineering through the medium of English in Oman

Yıl 2020, , 2113 - 2129, 30.12.2020

Holi Ibrahim Holi Ali

https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.851038

Öz

This current study based on a PhD study conducted by the researcher in 2018. The findings reported in this study were obtained from the analysis of interviews. The suggestions of engineering students and their English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and engineering teachers to overcome the challenges presented by studying through the medium of English will be presented and analysed. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The research methodology employed in this study is qualitative by using methods such as semi-structured interviews. Several issues and suggestions were identified from the data set, and several themes emerged from the analysis, namely: the need to reform the school system; the need to review and restructure foundation and post-foundation programmes; the need for more strongly emphasised oral communication courses; the importance of hiring engineering teachers with high language proficiency levels; and the need to establish cooperation mechanisms between language teachers and engineering tutors, as well as to embed critical-thinking skills in English language syllabi. Both teachers and students thought the EMI issues should be considered during the foundation and post-foundation stages where students were expected to be well prepared for their speciality in terms of language proficiency and other skills.

Anahtar Kelimeler

challenges, engineering, internal stakeholders; medium of English in Oman

Kaynakça

• Airey, J. (2012). I don’t teach language: The linguistic attitudes of physic lecturers in Sweden. AILA Review, 25 (1), 64-79.
• Alhassan, A. (2019). EFL postgraduate students’ learning needs on English-medium business programmes: An exploratory study. Language Teaching Research, 1-19. Doi: 10.1177/ 1362168819857861
• Barnard, R. (2014). English medium instruction in Asian universities: Some concerns and a suggested approach to dual-medium instruction, Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(1), 10-22.
• Braine, G. (2002). Academic literacy and the non-native speaker graduate student. English for Academic Purposes, 1(1), 59-68.
• Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), pp.77-101.
• Cox, L. R. and Lough, K. G. (2007). The importance of writing skill to the engineering students, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith / University of Missouri-Rolla.
• De Jong, E.J., and Harper, C. A. (2015). Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough? Teacher Education Quarterly, Spring, 100-124.
• Esquinca, A., Araujo, B. and Teresa, M. de la Piedra, M. (2014). Meaning-making and translanguaging in a two-way dual-language program on the U.S.-Mexico border. Bilingual Research Journal, 37(2), pp.164-181. Doi: 10.1080/15235882.2014.934970.
• Fleming, J., Garcia, N., and Morning, C. (1995). The critical thinking skills of minority engineering students: An exploratory study. Journal of Negro Education, 64(4), 47-453.
• Flowerdew, J and Miller, L. (1992). Student perception, problems and strategies in second language lecture comprehension. RELC Journal, 23(2), 60-80.
• Flowerdew, J., Lindsay Miller, L. and Li, D., C S. (2000). Chinese lecturers’ problems and strategies in second language lecture comprehension. RELC Journal, 31(1), 116138.
• García, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Oxford: Blackwell.
• Holi A. I. (2020). Omani Students’ Coping Strategies in an English Medium Engineering Programme. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ),11(2), 361-382, Doi: org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.25
• Holi A. I. (2020). Lecture comprehension difficulties experienced by Omani students in an English medium engineering programme, Cogent Arts & Humanities, 7(1), 1-17. Doi:10.1080/23311983.2020.1741986
• Holi, H. I. (2013). Perceived Views of Language Teachers on the Use of Needs Analysis in ESP Materials Writing (Co-authored Paper). English Language Teaching Journal, 6(3), 11-19. Publisher Canadian Centre for Science and Education (CCSENET)-Canada-www.ccsenet.org.
• Jackson, J. (2005). An inter-university, cross-disciplinary analysis of business education: perceptions of business faculty in Hong Kong. English for Specific Purposes, 24(3), pp.293-306
• Kim, E., Kweon, S. and Kim, J. (2016). Korean engineering students’ perceptions of English-medium instruction (EMI) and L1 use in EMI classes. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Doi: 10.1080/01434632.2016.1177061.
• Lasagabaster, D. (2013). The use of L1 in CLIL classes: The teachers’ perspective. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning 6(2), 10-21. Doi: 10.5294//laclil.2013.6.2.1
• Lawrence, C., Inbar-Lourie, O. and Weinberg, L. (2017). A handbook for English-medium instruction in institutions of higher education in Israel. (eds.).
• Lea, M. R. (2004). Academic literacies: pedagogy for course design. Studies in Higher Education, 29(6), 739-756
• Lillis, T. (2003). An academic literacies approach to student writing: drawing on Bakhtin to move from critique to design. Language and Education, 17(3), 192-207.
• Linn, M. C. (2000). Designing the knowledge integration environment. International Journal of Science Education, 22(8), 781–796
• Macaro, E. (2009). Teacher use of codeswitching in the second language classroom: Exploring ‘optimal’ use. In M. Turnbull & J. Dailey-O’Cain (Eds.). First language use in second and foreign language learning (pp. 35-49). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Marshall, C., and Rossman, G.B. (1999). Designing qualitative research (3rd ed.). Newbury Park: Sage.
• Melo-Pfeifer, S. (2015). Translanguaging, language, bilingualism and education. Language and Intercultural Communication Journal, 15(1), pp.179-183.Doi: 10.1080/14708477.2014.950828
• Missingham, D. (2006). The integration of professional communication skills into engineering education. The Proceedings of the EDU-COM 2006 International Conference, Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia, 346-357.
• Sayer, P. (2013). Translanguaging, TexMex, and bilingual pedagogy: Emergent bilinguals learning through the vernacular. TESOL Quarterly, (47)1, 63-88.
• Shaheen, N. (2012). International students at UK universities: critical thinking related challenges to academic writing, University of Huddersfield (unpublished Doctoral thesis). Retrieved from http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/16429/
• Troudi, S. and Jendli, A. (2011). Emirati Students’ Experiences of English as a Medium of Instruction in Issa, A. and Dahan, L. (eds.) Global English and Arabic: Issues of Language, Culture, and Identity, Oxford: Peter Lang, 2011, 23-48
• Turner, J. (2012). Academic literacies: Providing a space for the socio-political dynamics of EAP. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 11(1), 17-25.
• Wahi, W. (2013). Reading in engineering: Understanding engineering students’ English language academic literacies. DOI: 10.7763/IPEDR (68)18.
• Wingate, U., & Tribble, C. (2012). The best of both worlds? Towards an English for Academic Purposes/Academic Literacies Writing Pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education, 37(4), 481-495.
• Yousif, A. (2006). Listening Comprehension Difficulties as Perceived by J. King Saudi University, (19), 35-47.