Naslov
Introducing English-medium instruction at a Croatian university: Can we bridge the gap between global emerging trends and local challenges?

Autori
Drljača Margić, Branka ; Vodopija-Krstanović, Irena

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
English Language in Teaching in European Higher Education (Knjižica sažetaka) / - Kopenhagen : Sveučilište u Kopenhagenu, 2013, 19-20

Skup
English Language in Teaching in European Higher Education

Mjesto i datum
Kopenhagen, Danska, 19.04.2013. - 21.04.2013

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
English-medium instruction ; teachers ; attitudes

Sažetak
Despite the increasing internationalisation of higher education and student/staff mobility, rather little attention has been directed to English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Croatia, and higher education there is almost exclusively conducted in Croatian. Given this discrepancy, it seemed necessary to explore whether and how EMI could be implemented in local realities. The authors therefore conducted the first Croatian study into the attitudes of university lecturers towards the idea of introducing EMI, canvassing the opinions of teaching staff at Rijeka University. The aims of this questionnaire-based study were to examine whether the lecturers felt competent to teach in English, whether they believed EMI should be introduced and under what conditions, and whether they found it possible for instruction to become English-medium. The participants were also asked to identify the strengths and challenges of EMI. The findings suggest that although only half of the participants feel competent to tackle EMI, the vast majority think that EMI could and should be introduced. While acknowledging its strengths such as international collaboration and mobility, higher competitiveness, and improved communication skills, the participants also anticipate three key challenges: a) lecture preparation would be highly time-consuming, b) instruction might be too language-oriented, and c) acquisition and transfer of academic knowledge might be impaired due to inadequate proficiency in English. In addition, the participants express concern that EMI would jeopardise the development of Croatian and could even lead to increased brain drain. In order to respond to the challenges presented, preconditions such as financial support, workload modification, and language training should be fulfilled. The study also reveals a paradox: on the one hand, increased international mobility is seen as a prerequisite for introducing EMI, and on the other, unless EMI is introduced, it is unlikely that Croatian universities will be internationally visible.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

POVEZANOST RADA