Academic literature on the topic 'English medium education – Uganda'

Tanzania is, like most countries in East Africa, extremely culturally and linguistically diverse. Language counts range from 125 (Lewis, Simons & Fennig, 2016) to 164 living languages mentioned by the ‘Languages of Tanzania project’ (2009). Given this extreme multilingualism, institutional languages had to be chosen on a national level after independence. Kiswahili is the proclaimed national language and lingua franca of the East African region, also spoken in Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, and is used as medium of instruction (MoI) in primary education. English, the former colonial language, is the de facto national working language and medium of instruction in secondary and higher education. However, English remains a minority language, spoken by approximately 5% of the population, most of whom are members of a higher social class (Tibategeza, 2010). This leads to English being an international rather than a second language as in other former British colonies (Schmied, 1990, 1991). Rubanza (2002: 45) goes so far as to argue that ‘the society Tanzanians work and live in does not demand the use of English’. That is why it has been claimed that English will never replace the African languages in Tanzania but remain an additional language in certain spheres (Schmied, 1991).

Medium of instruction plays vital role in the education of children. Being major beneficiary or sufferer, parents’ role is integral as one of the major stakeholders in the education policy of Pakistan. This research is aimed to present an analysis of parental perceptions regarding medium of instruction for the education of their children. The present research draws closely on Woolard Schieffelin & Kroskrity’s Language Ideology Model (1998) for understanding perceptions of parents for English as a medium of instruction. The researchers conducted 12 semi structured interviews from parents of Hyderabad city by using Maximum Variation Sampling (Seidman, 1998). These interviews were analyzed using Constant Comparative Method (Lincoln &Guba, 1985). The findings of the study suggest that Pakistan is a multilingual state and the parents’ preferences of the language they want to be used in their children’s schools are not uniform. Therefore, government should involve parents at grass root level while making education policy for effective outcomes.

In European higher education the growing number of English-Medium (EM) courses, i.e. non-language subjects taught through English, has led to discussion about, and research on, whether the use of a foreign language for instruction has a negative impact on teaching and learning. The present quantitative study investigates this issue by comparing student lecture comprehension in English and the first language (L1) at three Norwegian and two German institutions of higher education, with a sample comprising 364 Norwegian and 47 German student respondents. It compares self-assessment scores for lecture comprehension in English and the L1. Analysis shows that while the difference between English and L1 scores was not substantial, a considerable number of students still had difficulties understanding the English-Medium lectures. Among the main problems, which in fact were similar in English and the L1, were difficulties distinguishing the meaning of words, unfamiliar vocabulary, and difficulties taking notes while listening to lectures. The study argues the need to improve the quality of lecturing in English and L1 as well as the lecturers’ and students’ English proficiency.

In the global debates on English as international lingua franca or as ‘killer language’, the adoption of English as medium of instruction in Higher Education is raising increasing concern. Plurilingualism and multilingualism are embedded in the official policies of the European Union and Council of Europe, and the Bologna Process for harmonizing Higher Education promises ‘proper provision for linguistic diversity’. But even enthusiasts acknowledge the problems of implementing such policies in the face of an inexorable increase in the use of English. This survey draws on the most recent and sometimes disparate sources in an attempt to paint a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the spread of English-medium teaching in Europe's universities. The article sets the changes in the context of accelerating globalization and marketization, and analyses the forces which are driving the adoption of English, and some of the problems which accelerating ‘Englishization’ of European Higher Education might create.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation I report on an ethnographic survey study undertaken on bi-/multilingual education in ten primary schools in Uganda. The primary aim of this study was to explore how teachers understand and manage the process of transitioning from mother tongue (MT) education to English as a language of learning and teaching (LoLT). In this study I used a multi-method approach involving questionnaires, classroom observations, follow-up interviews and note taking. Data was analysed using a theme-based triangulation approach, one in which insights gleaned from different sources are checked against each other, so as to build a fuller, richer and more accurate account of the phenomenon under study. This data was gathered firstly from teachers and classes in the first three years of formal schooling (P1 to P3) in order to understand the nature of multilingualism in the initial years of primary schooling and how teachers use MT instruction in preparation for transition to English-medium education that occurs at the end of these three years. Secondly, data from P4 and P5 classes and teachers was gathered so as to examine the manner in which teachers handle transition from MT instruction in P4 and then shift into the use of English as LoLT in P5. The study has identified discrepancies between de jure and de facto language policy that exist at different levels: within schools, between government and private schools in implementing the language-in-education policy, and, ultimately, between the assumptions teachers have of the linguistic diversity of learners and the actual linguistic repertoires possessed by the learners upon school entry. Moreover, the study has revealed that it is unrealistic to expect that transfer of skills from MT to English can take place after only three years of teaching English and MT as subjects and using MT as LoLT. Against such a backdrop, teachers operate under circumstances that are not supportive of effective policy implementation. In addition, there is a big gap between teacher training and the demands placed on teachers in the classroom in terms of language practices. Moreover, teachers have mixed feelings about MT education, and some are unreservedly negative about it. Teachers’ indifference to MT education is partly caused by the fact that MTs are not examined at the end of primary school and that all examination papers are set in English. Furthermore, it has emerged that Uganda’s pre-primary education system complicates the successful implementation of the language-in-education policy, as it is not monitored by the government, is not compulsory nor available to all Ugandan children, and universally is offered only in English. The findings of this study inform helpful recommendations pertaining to the language-ineducation policy and the education system of Uganda. Firstly, there is a need to compile countrywide community and/or school linguistic profiles so as to come up with a wellinformed and practical language policy. Secondly, current language-in-education policy ought to be decentralised as there are urban schools which are not multilingual (as is assumed by the government) and thus are able to implement MT education. Thirdly, the MT education programme of Uganda ought to be changed from an early-exit to a late-exit model in order to afford a longer time for developing proficiency in English before English becomes the LoLT. Fourthly, government ought to make pre-primary schooling compulsory, and MT should be the LoLT at this level so that all Ugandan children have an opportunity to learn through their MTs. Finally, if the use of MT, both as a subject and as a LoLT, is to be enforced in schools, the language of examination and/or the examination of MTs will have to be reconsidered. In summary, several reasons have been identified for the mentioned discrepancies between de jure and de facto language-in-education policy in Uganda. This policy was implemented in an attempt to improve the low literacy levels of Ugandan learners. It therefore appears as if the policy and its implementation will need revision before this achievable aim can be realised as there is great difficulty on the teachers’ side not only in the understanding but also in managing the process of transitioning from MT education to English as LoLT.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie proefskrif lewer ek verslag oor ‘n etnografiese opname van twee meertaligheid wat in 10 laerskole in Oeganda uitgevoer is. Die hoof doel van die studie was om vas te stel hoe onderwysers die oorgang van moedertaalonderrig na Engels as taal van onderrig en leer (TLO) verstaan en bestuur. Ek het ‘n veelvuldige metode-benadering in hierdie studie gevolg en gebruik gemaak van vraelyste, klaskamerwaarnemings, opvolgonderhoude en veldnotas. Data is geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van ‘n tema-gebaseerde trianguleringsbenadering, een waarin insigte verkry uit verskillende bronne teen mekaar geverifieer is om sodoende ‘n voller, ryker en meer akkurate verklaring vir die studieverskynsel te gee. Hierdie data is eerstens onder onderwysers en leerders in die eerste drie jaar van formele skoolonderring (P1 tot P3) ingesamel om vas te stel (i) wat die aard van veeltaligheid in die beginjare van laerskool is en (ii) hoe onderwysers moedertaal (MT) gebruik om leerders voor te berei vir die oorgang na Engels-medium onderrig wat aan die einde van hierdie drie jaar geskied. Data is tweedens onder P4- en P5-onderwysers en in P4- en P5-klaskamers ingesamel om sodoede die wyse te ondersoek waarop onderwysers die oorgang van MT-onderrig in P4 en die skuif na die gebruik van Engels as TLO in P5 hanteer. Die studie het diskrepansies tussen de jure- en de facto-taalbeleid op verskeie vlakke geïdentifiseer: binne skole, tussen die regering en privaatskole in die implementering van die taal-in-onderwys-beleid, en ook tussen die aannames wat onderwysers oor die talige diversiteit van leerders het en die werklike talige repertoires waarmee hierdie leerders die skoolsisteem betree. Die studie het verder getoon dat dit onrealisties is om te verwag dat oordrag van vaardighede van MT na Engels kan plaasvind ná slegs drie jaar van (i) Engels en MT as vakke en (ii) gebruik van MT as TLO. Teen hierdie agtergrond werk onderwysers onder omstandighede wat nie effektiewe beleidsimplementering ondersteun nie. Daar is ook ‘n groot gaping tussen onderwyseropleiding en die eise wat aan onderwysers in die klaskamer gestel word in terme van taalpraktyke. Verder het onderwysers gemengde gevoelens oor MTonderrig, en sommiges is sonder voorbehoud negatief daaroor. Onderwysers se onverskilligheid teenoor MT-onderrig word gedeeltelik meegebring deur die feit dat MTe nie aan die einde van laerskool geëksamineer word nie en dat alle eksamenvraestelle in Engels opgestel word. Dit het ook geblyk dat Oeganda se voorskoolse onderwyssisteem die suksesvolle implementering van die taal-in-onderwys-beleid kompliseer, aangesien hierdie vlak van onderwysg nie deur die regering gemonitor word nie, nie verpligtend of toeganklik vir alle Oegandese kinders is nie en universeel in slegs Engels aangebied word. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie maak nuttige aanbevelings moontlik aangaande die taal-inonderwys- beleid en die onderwyssisteem in Oeganda. Eerstens is daar ‘n behoefte aan die opstel van ‘n landswye taalprofiel van gemeenskappe en skole sou ‘n goed-ingeligte en prakties uitvoerbare taalbeleid daargestel wou word. Tweedens behoort die huidige taal-inonderwys- beleid gesentraliseer te word, aangesien sommige stedelike skole (in teenstelling met wat deur die regering aangeneem word) nie veeltalig is nie en dus wel daartoe in staat is om MT-onderrig te implementeer. Derdens behoort die MT-onderrigprogram in Oeganda verander te word van een waarin leerders MT-onderrig vroeg verlaat tot een waarin hulle MT-onderrig laat verlaat, sodat daar meer tyd is vir die verwerwing van Engelse taalvaardighede voordat Engels die TLO word. Vierdens behoort die regering preprimêre onderwys verpligtend te maak en behoort MT die TLO op hierdie vlak te wees sodat alle Oegandese kinders die geleentheid het om deur middel van hul MTe te leer. Laastens, as die gebruik van MT (as ‘n vak sowel as as TLO) in skole verplig gaan word, behoort die taal van eksaminering herbesin te word en/of die eksaminering van MTe heroorweeg te word. Opsommenderwys: Daar is verskeie redes geïdentifiseer vir die genoemde diskrepansies tussen die de jure- en de facto- taal-in-onderwys beleid in Oeganda. Hierdie beleid is ingestel in ‘n poging om die lae geletterdheidsvlakke van Oegandese leerders aan te spreek. Dit blyk dat die beleid en die implementering daarvan hersien sal moet word voordat hierdie haalbare doelwit gerealiseer sal kan word, want onderwysers vind dit merkbaar moeilik nie net om die huidige beleid te verstaan nie maar ook om die proses van oorgang van MT-onderrig na Engels as TLO te bestuur.<br>Ekisengejje (Luganda) Mu kiwakano kino, njogera ku kunoonyereza okwesigamizibwa ku kwekaliriza ekibinja ky’abantu ab’awamu n’engeri gye bakwatamu ebyenjigiriza nnanniminnyingi mu masomero ga pulayimale kkumi mu Uganda. Ekigendererwa ky’okunoonyereza kuno ekikulu kyali okwekaliriza engeri abasomesa gye bategeeramu ne gye bakwatamu enseetuka y’okuva mu kusomera mu lulimi oluzaaliranwa okudda mu Lungereza. Mu kunoonyereza kuno, nakozesa enseetuka mpendannyingi omuli olukalala lw’ebibuuzo, okwekaliriza okw’omu kibiina, okubuuza ebibuuzo eby’akamwa n’okuwandiika ebyekalirizibwa. Ebiwe byakenenulirwa mu miramwa nga giggyibwa mu ebyo ebyakuηηaanyizibwa mu mpenda ez’enjawulo. Enkola eno yeeyambisa ebyakukuηηaanyizibwa mu mpenda ez’enjawulo nga buli kimu kikkuutiriza kinnaakyo ne kiba nti ekijjo ekinoonyeerezebwako omuntu akitebya mu ngeri enzijuvu era engagga obulungi. Okusooka, ebiwe byakuηηaanyizibwa okuva mu basomesa ne mu bibiina ebisookerwako ebisatu (P1 okutuuka ku P3) n’ekigendererwa ky’okutegeera ennimi eziri mu myaka egisooka egya pulayimale n’engeri abasomesa gye batandikamu okusomesereza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa nga bateekateeka abayizi okubazza mu kuyigira mu Lungereza. Okuyigira mu Lungereza kutandika okubaawo ng’emyaka esatu egisooka giweddeko. Ebibiina, P4 ne P5 nabyo byatunuulirwa n’ekigendererwa ky’okwekaliriza engeri abasomesa gye bakwatamu enseetuka y’okuggya abayizi mu kuyigira mu nnimi enzaaliranwa mu P4 okubazza mu kuyigira mu Lungereza mu P5. Okunoonyereza kuno kuzudde empungu wakati w’enteekera y’ebyennimi eragirwa n’ekozesebwa ku mitendera egy’enjawulo: Empungu esooka eri mu kussa mu nkola enteekera y’ebyennimi mu byenjigiriza wakati w’amasomero ga gavumenti n’ag’obwannannyini ate ne wakati w’ebyo abasomesa bye bakkiririzaamu ku nnimi abayizi ze boogera n’ennimi abayizi bo ze boogera nga tebannayingira masomero. Mu ngeri y’emu okunoonyereza kuno kukizudde nti si kya bwenkyanya okusuubira abayizi okuzza mu Lungereza ebyo bye bayigidde emyaka esatu mu nnini enzaaliranwa nga mu myaka gye gimu egyo Olungereza n’olulimi oluzaaliranwa babadde baziyiga ng’amasomo. Mu mbeera efaanana bw’etyo, abasomesa bakolera mu mbeera etabasobozesa kutuukiriza nteekera ya bya nnimi mu byenjigiriza. Mu ngeri y’emu, waliwo empungu nnene wakati w’obutendeke abasomesa bwe balina n’ebyo ebibasuubirwamu okukola mu kibiina nga beeyambisa olulimi. Si ekyo kyokka, abasomesa si batangaavu ku kusomeseza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa, era n’abamu boogera kaati nga bwe batawagira nkola eno. Endowooza y’abasomesa ku kusomeseza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa yeesigamiziddwa ku kuba nti ennimi enzaaliranwa tezibuuzibwa ku nkomerero ya pulayimale ate era n’okuba nti ebibuuzo byonna ku nkomerero ya pulayimale bibuuzibwa mu Lungereza. Ng’oggyeeko ekyo, kyeyolese mu kunoonyereza kuno nti okusoma kwa nnasale mu Uganda kukaluubiriza okussa mu nkola enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza kubanga eddaala ly’okusoma lino terirondoolwa gavumenti, si lya buwaze ate era abaana bonna mu Uganda tebafuna mukisa kusoma nnasale, n’ekirala nti okutwaliza awamu ebisomesebwa ku ddaala lino biba mu Lungereza. Ebizuuliddwa mu kunoonyereza kuno bisonga ku bisembebwa ebiyinza okuyamba mu kutereeza enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza ko n’omuyungiro gw’ebyenjigiriza gwonna mu Uganda. Okusooka, kyetaagisa okukuηηaanya ennimi ezoogerebwa mu bitundu ne/oba mu masomero ne kiyamba mu kussa mu nkola enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu ngeri entangaavu. Eky’okubiri, kisaana obuyinza bw’enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza eriwo kati buzzibweko wansi kubanga waliwo amasomero g’omu bibuga agataliimu nnimi nnyingi (nga gavumenti yo bw’ekitwala) era nga bwe gatyo gasobola okussa mu nkola enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza. Eky’okusatu, enteekateeka y’okusomeseza mu nnimi enzaaliranwa eya Uganda esaana eyongezebwe okuva ku myaka 3 etuuke ku myaka 6 okutuuka ku 8. Ebbanga eryo eggwanvu liyamba omuyizi okukaza Olungereza n’oluvannyuma asobole okuluyigiramu. Eky’okuna, gavumenti esaana efuule okusoma kwa nnasale okw’obuwaze era ennimi enzaaliranwa zisaana zibeere olulimi oluyigirwamu ku ddaala lino kibeere nti abaana bonna mu Uganda bafuna omukisa okuyigira mu nnimi zaabwe enzaaliranwa. N’ekisembayo, bwe kiba nti okukozesa ennimi enzaaliranwa mu masomero ng’olulimi oluyigirwamu ate era ng’essomo kinaagobererwa mu masomero, olulimi olubuulizibwamu ebibuuzo ne/oba okubuuzibwako ebibuuzo bisaana bifiibweko nate. Mu bufunze, ensonga nnyingiko ezinokoddwayo ng’ezireetawo empungu wakati w’enteekera y’eby’ennimi mu byenjigiriza n’ebyo ebikolebwa mu masomero mu Uganda. Enteekera eno yassibwa mu nkola n’ekigendererwa ky’okwongera ku mutindo gw’okuyiga okusoma n’okuwandiika mu bayizi b’omu Uganda. Wabula ate kifanana okuba nti enteekera eno n’engeri gy’essibwa mu nkola bijja kwetaaga okuddamu okufiibwako olwo ekigendererwa ekyabiteekerwa kiryoke kituukibweko. Kino kiri bwe kityo kubanga waliwo enkalubira ya maanyi mu basomesa mu kutegeera ne mu nkwajja y’okuteekateeka abayizi okubaseetula

The discourse on English-medium teaching in higher education uses several terms and concepts to describe practices, very often synonymously. This contribution aims to fill the research gap of a conceptualisation of English-medium teaching in higher education. It will identify relevant approaches and their corresponding terminology, as well as clarify which approaches are most suitable for higher education. Given that the past decades have seen a substantial rise in the use of English as a teaching language in European compulsory schooling [Dalton-Puffer, C. 2011. "Content and Language Integrated Learning: From Practice to Principles?" Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 31: 182-183], the paper will also draw parallels between the secondary and the tertiary levels of education. At the same time, it will also be shown why insights drawn from research conducted in secondary education cannot simply be transferred to the tertiary level of education. The main focus of the paper is on the "English-medium Paradigm", a framework created to identify prevalent instructional types in Englishtaught programmes at universities in non-Anglophone countries [Unterberger, B. 2014. "English-medium Degree Programmes in Austrian Tertiary Business Studies: Policies and Programme Design." Dissertation, University of Vienna, 45-52]. The paradigm is based on terminological and conceptual considerations gained from the critical discussion of English for specific purposes, English for academic purposes, Content and language integrated learning and English-medium instruction literature [e.g. Bhatia, V. K. 1993. Analysing Genre: Language use in Professional Settings. London: Longman; Hyland, K. 2006. English for Academic Purposes: An Advanced Resource Book. London: Routledge; Dalton-Puffer, C. 2007. "Academic Language Functions in a CLIL Environment". In Diverse Contexts - Converging Goals: CLIL in Europe, edited by D. Marsh, 201-209. Mehrsprachigkeit in Schule und Unterricht 6. Frankfurt am Main: Lang; Dafouz, E., and U. Smit. 2014. "Towards a Dynamic Conceptual Framework for English-medium Education in Multilingual University Settings". Applied Linguistics. doi:10.1093/applin/amu034]. The paper therefore provides a timely conceptualisation of the varieties of English-medium teaching in higher education which also takes into account pedagogical considerations as well as implications for curriculum design.

This thesis examines the implementation of the policy for English-medium education in government-run schools in Bhutan, a small multilingual developing country in the eastern Himalayas. It identifies factors influencing its effective implementation, plus policy and practice measures to improve learning outcomes for students. It takes as a theoretic framework an approach known as ‘content and language integrated learning’ (CLIL). This involves integration of language and subject teaching. The study addresses the following research question: How can implementation of Bhutan’s policy of English-medium education be enhanced? Data to address these questions were gathered through a literature review, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and classroom observations. The study also draws on personal experience. The findings reveal that implementation of Bhutan’s policy of English-medium government-run education could be significantly enhanced. Students are not attaining control over English at desired levels of schooling; classroom practices favour didactic teaching-learning approaches; teachers’ tend to teach toward terminal examinations and adhere to traditional teacher and student roles; and subject teachers do not consistently support students’ English language development. The study also found that many stakeholders, including policy-makers, teachers, curriculum developers and teacher trainers lack awareness of the concept of language-related disadvantage in education and approaches for more effective second language-medium teaching and learning. This includes a lack of language-sensitive classroom practices in both language and subject classes. These findings highlight the need for teachers to make different methodological choices inside classrooms. To do this, teachers should become skilled and confident in the use of classroom practices which support students’ English language learning. Key stakeholders, particularly policy-makers, teachers and teacher educators, must understand and accept the need for further policy and practice measures to support language-sensitive teaching-learning approaches for English-medium education in Bhutan. The implications of these findings for policy, practice and future research are further elucidated.

Due to the internationalization of European higher education, English has been gaining importance as a medium of instruction. This tendency may also be observed in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Yet, the Flemish government severely restricts the use of languages other than Dutch for teaching purposes. This monolingual policy contrasts sharply with the multilingual reality in Flanders, and has its roots in history. Belgium was constructed in 1830 as a French-speaking state, even though French was spoken by a minority. The Flemish majority and their language were effectively oppressed, and it was not until 1930 that Dutch was recognized as the language of higher education in Flanders. Language remains a sensitive issue in Belgium, and Flanders in particular has established close links between its language and identity. Alongside this essentialist attitude, a strong normative tradition may be observed, which may be linked to linguistic insecurity. As a result of the 'language struggle', language is commonly framed in terms of threat (from 'foreign' languages) and protection (of one's own language and culture). Yet, whereas in the past French was imposed from above, today's English is more readily accepted from below. The aim of my research was to analyse the policy and discourse on English-medium instruction (EMI) in a highly language-sensitive context. I analysed bottom-up (semi-public) discourse as well as top-down discourse (government and university policy), focusing on academic practices (EMI attitudes expressed by Flemish students and lecturers). I used a plurality of ('critical') methods, drawing on language policy research, discourse analysis, .~nd language attitudes research. I made use of texts (in their widest sense), questionnaires and interviews. The results reveal a dichotomy between political and academic discourse on EMI. Whereas the former is clearly ideological, the latter tends to be more pragmatic. Flemish students and lecturers in general express positive attitudes towards EMI, although they think some kind of regulation is necessary. Their attitudes are determined by a number of interrelated parameters, including age, experience, need, language command, and ideology. A culture shift has taken place in Flemish academia, in that English has replaced French as a second language, and it has arguably become the first academic language instead of Dutch (even though its use as a medium of instruction remains restricted). Many students and lecturers regard language in general - including foreign languages - as part of their identity, rather than (standard) Dutch only. The current language policy regarding EMI appears to be counterproductive, and may not be tenable in a globalizing academic environment.

Questa tesi riflette l’attuale interesse per il dibattito educativo sul ruolo e sull’uso dell’inglese come lingua veicolare in ambiente accademico. I programmi che utilizzano l’inglese come Medium of Instruction (EMI) sono al centro dell’attenzione di questo studio, che si compone di una parte quantitativa e una parte qualitativa. Attraverso un’analisi aggiornata dei dati raccolti da Costa e Coleman nel 2012, la prima parte descrive i risultati di un questionario spedito a tutte le università italiane; la parte qualitativa descrive l’utilizzo dei marcatori metadiscorsivi impiegati da quattro docenti dell’Università Cattolica di Milano. A tale scopo, è stata adottata una versione semplificata del modello di Ädel (2003), proposto da Nobles (2010), e applicato in questa sede al discorso accademico orale. L’aumento del numero di corsi di EMI in Italia registrato da Costa e Coleman nel 2012 è rimasto stabile. Il confronto tra l’uso di marcatori metadiscorsivi personali e impersonali mostra un maggior utilizzo dei primi, in particolare del pronome personale “we”. Infine, lo studio vuole fornire dati e riflessioni a docenti, istituzioni universitarie e legislatori, utili anche alla progettazione di corsi di formazione per insegnanti.<br>This thesis reflects the shared current interest in the ongoing educational debate on the role and use of English as a medium of instruction in academic settings. English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) programs are the main focus of this study which includes a quantitative and a qualitative part. Through an up-to-date analysis of the data on EMI courses in Italy collected by Costa and Coleman in 2012, the first part shows the results of a questionnaire that was sent to all Italian universities; the qualitative part describes the use of metadiscourse markers by four Italian lecturers at the Università Cattolica of Milan. The simplified and restricted classification model of metadiscourse markers proposed by Nobles (2010), adapted from Ädel (2003), was here applied to the academic spoken discourse. The increase in the number of EMI courses in Italy registered by Costa and Coleman in 2012 has remained stable. The comparison of the use of personal and impersonal metadiscourse shows that personal metadiscourse tokens surpass the impersonal counterpart, with the pronoun “we” as the most frequent self-mention marker in the corpus. Finally, the present study can be of great interest both for lecturers and university policymakers or teacher-training designers.

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore experiences of English medium schools in Sweden through the narratives of participants (students and parents), and the educational philosophy of one independent school organisation. The theoretical perspective of Knud Illeris’ learning dimensions has been applied as an analytical tool to investigate the content, incentive and social/societal dimensions. As previous research on English medium education in Sweden have mainly investigated the content and incentive dimensions of learning, this study has a stronger focus on the social and societal dimension. A phenomenological approach extracted the experiences from participants in English medium schooling as written or oral narratives. The perspective of an English medium school organisation was explored through their educational philosophy as described in their Ethos. One of the main results of this study is that the positive influence of English is mentioned in all learning dimensions. English is not only described as an important learning content and incentive to learn, but also as an essential part of the school culture and an access to a global society. Another result is the importance of the unique school atmosphere that has been created through consistent rules of conduct and high expectations of academic achievement. The cultural diversity in the school and how this is described as a motivational factor and an opportunity to share and learn other perspectives is the final main result of the study.

Intemationalisation presents a challenge to higher education at many levels. For many universities, it is a process that has been considered synonymous with teacher and student mobility. Mobility is indeed an important part of this process and in some places the ultimate test of intemationalisation but changes also influence curriculum development. The focus on teaching and learning in an intercultural environment, particularly on language instruction and competence is not without prerequisites and stimulates debate about the degree of accommodation made between local and global needs within academic disciplines. This study looks at two national contexts, Denmark and Sweden, which represent similar but different aspects of higher education in the Nordic countries. Both have languages which are little used beyond their national boundaries. The cross-institutional quantitative comparative analysis tests hypotheses about the impact of intemationalisation policy on the availability of English taught courses and conversely that of English medium teaching on intemationalisation. The study uses university organisational settings, policies and activities to determine if there is a causal relationship between policies of intemationalisation and an increase in English medium teaching in higher education. The study is a two-phase, sequential mixed methods approach where the focus group is directors of studies at Danish and Swedish university campuses. Findings from the study show that while the university profiles of Denmark and Sweden are similar, the two countries differ in having policies of intemationalisation and providing English language taught programmes at undergraduate and graduate levels. At a time when efforts to increase English medium teaching in European institutions are moving through various response stages, the Nordic perspective shows that while intemationalisation policy is not a pre-requisite for English medium instruction, practice is significantly influenced by national level explanations.

In Pakistan, educational institutions function in parallel under three separate systems: public, private and madrassas. The incidents of 9/11 brought madrassas into the limelight and they emerged as the most controversial educational institutions of Pakistan. International scholarship is polarized on the madrassa issue and presents two opposing pictures about these institutes. For some, madrassas are the cause of radical ideology and militancy, while for others they are a source of free education for the underprivileged. This research compares the attitudes of students attending madrassas with those of students attending other types of school. A comparison of the world view of students coming from different schooling systems was made concerning socio-political and educational issues including an examination of attitudes towards jihad and Islamic militancy. It is argued that students educated under different systems have divergent ideologies about the primary purpose of education, sectarian diversity, the status of women and non-Muslims in Pakistan and, most importantly, Islamic militancy. To determine the worldview of students about the aforesaid issues, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. The data were collected from the students of private and public schools and madrassas in South Punjab (N=500). It is argued that madrassas are stratified with some being more liberal than others. The questionnaire and interview tool used in the study attempted to find out the students‘ responses on armed Jihad, sectarian divide, the status of women, the position of non-Muslims in Pakistan and about the purpose of education. The analysis illustrated the ways in which Pakistani society is polarized along socio-economic lines and how different types of schooling are associated with distinct world views. The results indicate that the students from madrassas are somewhat more aggressive and intolerant towards the religious minorities and women than the students of English medium and Urdu medium public schools. They are also less tolerant towards people of other sects and are more susceptible to sectarian prejudices than their counterparts in the English medium and Urdu medium schools. In the same vein, the students from madrassas are more supportive of militancy and jihadist activities than their counterparts. In this regard, the students from Shia and Brailvi madrassas are comparatively less inclined towards the Jihadi notion than that of Ahle Hadith, Deaoband and Jamaat-e-Islami madrassas. While most previous studies of madrassas have presented them as homogeneous institutions, this study highlights the extent to which they are internally stratified and shows that the students studying in these schools have contradictory viewpoints with respect to certain socio-political and religious issues.

This paper seeks to attain a better knowledge of the students that have joined the first partially-taught-in-English degree course in one of the six groups of the Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education in the University of Málaga. The aim is to comprehend their different profiles so that professors can cater for their needs. To achieve this objective, as part of an innovation project led by a multidisciplinary team, different questionnaires were designed, the first of them to get information about their personal data and English training. It was taken by first year students, for two consecutive years (2014, 2015). The results of this questionnaire revealed that, as no specific requirements were asked, and only English level indications were given, we have to work with an heterogeneous group of people, which results in a multi-level proficiency, very demanding group, to deal with. However, comparing the results from one year to the next, we noticed that there has been an improvement in almost every parameter we were interested in assessing, and the participants of the developing innovation project are committed to evaluate their needs and provide the necessary support that teachers and students deserve.

Improvements in instructional coherence have been shown to have large impacts on student learning, yet analysis of such coherence, especially in developing countries and at a systems level, is rare. We use an established methodology, the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC), and apply it to a developing country context to systematically analyze and quantify the content and coherence of the primary curriculum standards, national examinations, and actual teaching delivered in the classroom in Uganda and Tanzania. We find high levels of incoherence across all three instructional components. In Uganda, for example, only four of the fourteen topics in the English curriculum standards appear on the primary leaving exam, and two of the highest-priority topics in the standards are completely omitted from the exams. In Tanzania, only three of fourteen English topics are covered on the exam, and all are assessed at the “memorization” level. Rather than aligning with either the curriculum standards or exams, teachers’ classroom instruction is poorly aligned with both. Teachers tend to cover broad swathes of content and levels of cognitive demand, unrelated to the structure of either the curriculum standards or exams. An exception is Uganda mathematics, for which standards, exams, and teacher instruction are all well aligned. By shedding light on alignment deficits in the two countries, these results draw attention to a policy area that has previously attracted little (if any) attention in many developing countries’ education policy reform efforts. In addition to providing empirical results for Uganda and Tanzania, this study provides a proof-of-concept for the use of the SEC methodology as a diagnostic tool in developing countries, helping education systems identify areas of instructional (in)coherence and informing efforts to improve coherence for learning.