Implicit Beliefs about English Language Competencies in the Context of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: A Comparison of University Students and Lecturers in Namibia

Autor/inn/en	Otaala, Laura A.; Plattner, Ilse E.
Titel	Implicit Beliefs about English Language Competencies in the Context of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: A Comparison of University Students and Lecturers in Namibia
Quelle	In: International Journal of Higher Education, 2 (2013) 3, S.123-131 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1927-6044
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Language of Instruction; College Students; Language Proficiency; Lecture Method; Standard Spoken Usage; College Faculty; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Self Evaluation (Individuals); Academic Discourse; Writing Skills; Notetaking; Teaching Methods; Language Variation; Statistical Analysis; Questionnaires; Namibia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Collegestudent; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Gesprochene Sprache; Umgangssprache; Fakultät; Schülerverhalten; Lehrerverhalten; Discourse; Diskurs; Writing skill; Schreibfertigkeit; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Sprachenvielfalt; Statistische Analyse; Fragebogen
Abstract	In many African countries, English is the medium of instruction in higher education even though students may not always be entirely familiar with "standard" English. This study aimed at investigating the relevance of English language competencies for teaching and learning from the perspective of students and lecturers. The study was carried out in Namibia and guided by the conceptual framework of implicit theories. Through a self-administered questionnaire, data were collected from a sample of 286 undergraduate students and 34 lecturers. Students and lecturers differed statistically significantly in all their views on the topic under investigation. While most of the lecturers (85.3%) believed that their students would not have good English language competencies, the majority of students (87.8%) rated their English between good and excellent. Most lecturers believed that insufficient English language competencies would cause a variety of problems for students such as having difficulty expressing themselves in English, following lectures, taking good notes during lectures, understanding academic texts, and writing coherent essays; in contrast, the majority of students believed that they had no such problems. The results are discussed with regard to practical implications for teaching and learning in higher education. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01