engleski

Croatian students' attitudes toward the idea of introducing English-medium higher education in Croatia

Attitudes of non-native English speakers towards the use of English in high-status domains, such as higher education, have been investigated for years in different linguistic communities (e.g. Berg et al. 2001, Preisler 2005, Ljosland 2007, Gnutzmann 2008). With higher education and other high-status domains becoming increasingly internationalized and with a growing need for international student and teacher mobility, research into attitudes towards English-medium higher education is particularly important. The present paper reports on the first study conducted into the attitudes of Croatian native speakers towards the idea of introducing English as a medium of instruction in Croatian higher education, which is at the moment almost exclusively Croatian-medium. A questionnaire-based study was carried out, the aim of which was to examine whether the participants felt that they were competent enough to attend courses and take exams in English, whether and why they would like courses they attend to be in English, and what they believed to be main advantages of and barriers to introducing English as a medium of instruction in Croatian higher education. The participants’ perception of the possibility of the implementation of English-medium higher education in Croatia was also investigated.

English-medium higher education; Croatian-medium higher education; language attitude

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