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Language Learning in Higher Education

Journal of the European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education (CercleS)

Editor-in-Chief: Szczuka-Dorna, Liliana / O’Rourke, Breffni

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Optimizing language instruction at the tertiary level: student needs analysis toward educational change

Dagmar Sieglová / Lenka Stejskalová / Ioana Kocurová-Giurgiu
Published Online: 2017-10-10 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2017-0017

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Abstract

The job expectations and requirements of the information age bring with them a need for a change in teaching and studying. A quantitative approach to working with information and a frontal style of teaching, still a wide practice in many institutions, no longer seem to be suitable preparation for current students’ needs. One of the areas affected by these changes are the foreign language competences necessary to efficiently deal with study and job related practices and, correspondingly, to succeed in the job market. Along with the change in student needs comes the demand for change in the organization of language classrooms and instruction. Young people, facing a deluge of information and unlimited access to resources, are challenged by the changing needs in processing the material. A qualitative approach to information is required with a growing focus on information processing, analysis, critical evaluation and implementation in practice. Similarly, the need for efficient communication skills such as negotiation, argumentation or presenting seem to be more in demand than grammatical precision or encyclopedic knowledge. From this perspective, language instruction accentuating activities focused on memorizing and drills needs to be restructured so the students can develop targeted key competences for the current times. This paper focuses on the research of student needs and how they are perceived from the perspective of students and their study or internship experience, as well as from the perspective of teacher practitioners. The purpose of the study is to identify the key competences students need to succeed in the job market as a resource for restructuring university language instruction.

Keywords: needs analysis; language; education; tertiary; teacher; student; self-assessment

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About the article

Dagmar Sieglová

Dagmar Sieglová completed her graduate degree in intercultural communication at the Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania, US and her doctoral degree in applied linguistics at the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. She currently works as a teacher and trainer professional in English language services and as a lecturer and researcher at the Škoda Auto University in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. She teaches English for professional purposes, diversity management, and intercultural marketing. She specializes in critical thinking teaching methodologies.

Lenka Stejskalová

Lenka Stejskalová received a master’s degree from the School of Education at the Charles University of Prague, Czech Republic, and an MBA from the Institute of Professional Financial Managers. She attended the IH London for teaching English for business certificate. Besides her active English teaching practices at the Škoda Auto University in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic, she is the institution vice-rector for international relations, and as a head of the Department of Languages and Intercultural Competence. As a mentor and evaluator for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools, she is responsible for the school methodologies, curricula and international cooperation.

Ioana Kocurová-Giurgiu

Ioana Kocurová-Giurgiu – graduated from Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu, Romania, with a major in Journalism & Communication and got her M.A in Translation Studies at the same university, focusing on holy writings and script adaptation for television. Currently, she works at the Škoda Auto University in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic as a trainer, teaching Business Communication Competences. She is interested in motivation and motivating factors in the learning process and focuses on student engagement in classroom interaction.

Published Online: 2017-10-10

Published in Print: 2017-10-26

Citation Information: Language Learning in Higher Education, Volume 7, Issue 2, Pages 413–433, ISSN (Online) 2191-6128, ISSN (Print) 2191-611X, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2017-0017.

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