English for Academic Purposes at Swedish universities: Teachers’ objectives and practices

Aileen Irvine, Diane Pecorari, Philip Shaw, Hans Malmström

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

In a parallel-language environment the use of textbooks in English in courses
otherwise in the local language is naturalized and not widely discussed or
questioned. The aim of this study was to elicit the attitudes and syllabus
infrastructure that underlie the practice. A large-scale survey was carried out and answers were obtained from over 20% of teachers at Swedish universities.
Results confirmed that a majority regarded English as important during and/or
after university studies and showed that they considered the use of English language textbooks as providing a useful opportunity for incidental language
learning. In strong contrast to the situation in a content and language integrated learning environment, only a small minority of courses were reported to have any specified learning outcome related to English. Open answers showed awareness of the benefits and risks of parallel-language practices, but no interest in making aims explicit. In our view, there is no contradiction between incidental learning and explicit aims, and course aims which remain implicit make rational planning and constructive alignment more difficult. They also inhibit discussion of appropriate methodology.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)55-78
Number of pages23
JournalIbérica
Volume22
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'English for Academic Purposes at Swedish universities: Teachers’ objectives and practices'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this