Fecha de recepción: 2 de agosto 2012-Fecha de aceptación: 7 de noviembre 2012 RESUMEN Generalmente se cree que la principal razón para el limitado conocimiento y uso del inglés por parte de los estudiantes que se gradúan de los colegios está relacionada con la ausencia de estrategias efectivas de enseñanza, situación que ocurre en un alto número de colegios fiscales de la ciudad de Cuenca. Para conocer la medida en que se produce este hecho y para identificar las razones de los bajos conocimientos del inglés de estos estudiantes, se llevó a cabo un estudio exploratorio. La investigación incluyó una encuesta impresa con un cuestionario, la que fue contestada por 168 profesores de inglés, 92 profesores fueron monitoreados en el aula durante una clase, y finalmente 54 profesores fueron entrevistados de una población total de 215 profesores de inglés de los colegios fiscales de Cuenca. Los resultados revelan que el bajo rendimiento de los estudiantes de los colegios secundarios en el inglés se afecta negativamente debido al uso de estrategias de enseñanza tradicionales, como son el aprendizaje centrado en el profesor, la falta de interacción entre los estudiantes en la lengua meta y la confusión de los profesores al tratar de emplear diferentes estrategias comunicativas. En un futuro cercano, los resultados de la investigación se utilizarán para elaborar estrategias basadas en tareas y mejorar la habilidad de los profesores en la enseñanza de inglés a través de talleres de capacitación. Palabras clave: Inglés, desempeño del profesor, estrategias de enseñanza, encuesta tipo cuestionario, monitoreo a los profesores, entrevistas.
The recent application of Content and Language Integrated Learning programs in higher education provides an extensive area for research due to the quick implementation of English as the medium of instruction for university programs, as well as to the need of university students around the world to communicate through English and to try different learning strategies and methodologies than the ones they used to work with. This study aimed to estimate the extent to which the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program at the University of Cuenca designed for students who wish to become EFL teachers complies with the principles of the Content and Language Integrated Learning approach. The 121 participants of this study were students from the fourth, fifth, and seventh semesters of the program. A general proficiency English test was administered to these students; some writing assignments to evaluate the development of Higher Order Thinking Skills were considered; and a survey to inquire about students’ perceptions on the development of language, content, and Higher Order Thinking Skills in their content subject classes was also applied. The findings revealed that 52% of the students are between A1 and A2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; this means that they do not have the necessary linguistic conditions to take content subjects. It seems that the parameters teachers used to plan their classes do not consider the three dimensions of this approach (content, language, and procedures); therefore, students are not developing these dimensions simultaneously.
Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is a dual focus educational approach widely used in European primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions in which content subjects included in the mainstream curriculum are taught through a foreign language, usually English. This paper presents a systematic review on relevant existing literature on the application of the CLIL approach in university classrooms. A total of 22 studies were identified and chosen for further analysis; the categories emerged from the analysis itself. These studies, which focused on language and methodological features, were explored to determine the research trends in terms of location, methodology, participants, data collection instruments, focus, teaching methodology and language focus. The results of the review show a trend to examine classroom discourses and the development of pragmatic competence in CLIL classrooms. As a result of the review, the paper offers suggestions for future research on the CLIL approach in university classrooms as more tertiary education institutions around the globe are adopting English as the language of instruction.
This paper reports on a descriptive mixed-method study that aimed to identify the impact of expressive writing on relieving the academic stress of 157 undergraduate students at an Ecuadorian university. Data were gathered through two questionnaires and from focus groups. Results showed enduring relief of academic stress. Furthermore, they help to shed light on the need to study the impact of academic stress on university students and to look for different strategies that can alleviate it. These findings could help to understand students’ needs, as they have essential implications in teachers’ practices and, consequently, in students’ performance. In conclusion, expressive writing has a positive effect on helping to ease academic stress and overcome some difficulties caused by this issue.
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