The impact of EMI on student English writing proficiency in a Spanish undergraduate engineering context

This study analyzes the influence of English medium instruction (EMI) on student English writing development in a Spanish undergraduate context, a language skill that remains underexplored in EMI research at tertiary level. Through a longitudinal pre- and post-test method, it explores the writing progress of EMI engineering students as compared to the achievement of a group of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, according to different quantitative and qualitative writing measures. Results show a positive impact of EMI on student writing development at the levels of lexical accuracy and vocabulary. However, other writing areas, such as syntax, grammar, organization, or fluency, appeared unaffected. These findings challenge, to some extent, the widespread assumption that EMI contributes to improving student English language proficiency. This study suggests that sole exposure to the language in EMI contexts does not suffice to improve students’ English writing abilities beyond the area of vocabulary. Therefore, it argues for the inclusion of language skill support within EMI programs to provide students with opportunities to achieve a comprehensive development of their English language and writing competence

MDA analysis of translated and non-translated parliamentary discourse

Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovació

Implementación del Plurilingüismo en Educación Superior: Necesidades de Formación del Profesorado y Evaluación del Plan

The incorporation to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has given rise to an increase of the level of internationalisation of Spanish universities. Consequently, numerous institutions have started to implement plurilingual plans in order to increase their academic offer in a foreign language, mainly in English. The implementation of these plans requires the design and development of teacher training programs that enable teachers to improve their linguistic and methodological competence. This study aims to analyse the teacher training needs for plurilingual teaching at a state university in Andalusia (Spain) and describe the teacher training programme on plurilingual teaching methodologies implemented at this university during three academic years. Furthermore, the development of the Plurilingualism Promotion Plan implemented at the said university from 2012 to 2015 will be evaluated through a descriptive analysis of 16 indicators related to institutional strategy, internationalization of the curriculum and teaching staff. The results show a positive development of the analysed elements.La incorporación al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) ha dado lugar a un incremento del nivel de internacionalización de las universidades españolas. Como consecuencia, numerosas instituciones han comenzado a poner en marcha planes plurilingües con objeto de incrementar su oferta académica en una lengua extranjera, principalmente en inglés. La implementación de estos planes requiere el diseño y desarrollo de programas de formación docente que permitan a los profesores mejorar su competencia lingüística y metodológica. Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar las necesidades de formación del profesorado en materia de enseñanza plurilingüe en una universidad pública de Andalucía (España), así como describir el programa de formación del profesorado sobre metodologías docentes en contextos plurilingües desarrollado en esta misma universidad durante tres cursos académicos. Asimismo, se proporciona una evaluación del desarrollo de un Plan de Promoción del Plurilingüismo implementado en la misma universidad mediante un análisis descriptivo de 16 indicadores relativos a la estrategia institucional, internacionalización del currículo y personal docente, durante el periodo comprendido entre 2012 y 2015. Los resultados muestran una evolución positiva de los elementos analizados

Motivaciones de estudiantes de educación superior para participar en programas bilingües

This paper addresses the views on motivation of students who participated in higher education bilingual programmes in a Spanish state university for two academic years and were asked to inform on the experiences that they found more motivating and the changes they would introduce to feel more enthused to participate in a similar programme in the future. Qualitative data were gathered through a questionnaire administered to 310 students that included two open questions related to motivating factors. The responses were coded in relation to 6 fields that emerged consistently and were converted into percentages. The obtained results show evidence that students display signals of motivation that are related to aspects of the L2 motivational self-system. The relevance of this study lies on the voice of the students participating in an EMI context in HE as well as on the new paths shown on the benefits of self-confidence and self-efficacy, the need to focus on professional opportunities and communities of practice, and a consideration of critical views on current practice and overwhelming use of English.Este estudio investiga las opiniones sobre motivación de estudiantes que han participado en programas bilingües de educación superior en una universidad pública española durante dos cursos académicos a los que se les pidió que informaran sobre las experiencias que encontraron más motivadoras y los cambios que incorporarían para participar en programas similares en el futuro. Se recogieron datos cualitativos a través de un cuestionario al que contestaron 310 estudiantes y que incluía dos preguntas abiertas relativas a factores motivacionales. Se codificaron las respuestas en relación con seis campos que surgieron de forma consistente y se calcularon los porcentajes. Los resultados obtenidos evidencian que los estudiantes muestran señales de motivación que se relacionan con aspectos del sistema motivacional del yo en L2. La relevancia de este estudio radica en la voz de los estudiantes participantes en un contexto EMI en educación superior, así como en las nuevas líneas planteadas sobre los beneficios de la autoconfianza y autoeficacia, la necesidad de centrarse en oportunidades profesionales y comunidades de práctica y la consideración de una mirada crítica hacia la práctica actual y uso dominante del inglés

Predicting content proficiency through disciplinary-literacy variables in English-medium writing

The debate on the roles of language and literacy in the increasingly internationalised university contexts where disciplinary content is taught through the medium of English has been a matter of recent research concerns. Despite the limited focus on language and literacy in English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes, there is currently increasing recognition of the need for explicit awareness of subject-specific language and literacies to favour content learning. However, there is a paucity of empirical research that measures the impact of students’ disciplinary language and literacy skills on content achievement in EMI contexts. To address this issue, this paper analyses the relationship between the use of disciplinary-literacy variables related to the genre and specialized-language features of the laboratory report at the levels of text structure, cohesion, grammar, and vocabulary, and students’ content proficiency in English-medium writing in a Spanish undergraduate setting. Results show a positive relationship between the frequency of occurrence of certain disciplinary-literacy variables and students’ content proficiency. In particular, moves, cohesive devices, technical words, and passive voice appear as significant indicators of content proficiency in English-medium laboratory report writing. These findings strengthen the need to provide students with subject-specific language and literacy support for successful academic development in EMI courses

The impact of EMI on student English writing proficiency in a Spanish undergraduate engineering context

This study analyzes the influence of English medium instruction (EMI) on student English writing development in a Spanish undergraduate context, a language skill that remains underexplored in EMI research at tertiary level. Through a longitudinal pre- and post-test method, it explores the writing progress of EMI engineering students as compared to the achievement of a group of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, according to different quantitative and qualitative writing measures. Results show a positive impact of EMI on student writing development at the levels of lexical accuracy and vocabulary. However, other writing areas, such as syntax, grammar, organization, or fluency, appeared unaffected. These findings challenge, to some extent, the widespread assumption that EMI contributes to improving student English language proficiency. This study suggests that sole exposure to the language in EMI contexts does not suffice to improve students’ English writing abilities beyond the area of vocabulary. Therefore, it argues for the inclusion of language skill support within EMI programs to provide students with opportunities to achieve a comprehensive development of their English language and writing competence

Developing Business English Students’ Metaphorical Competence in Foreign Language Learning Higher Education Contexts

This article is aimed at showing the ways in which Business English teachers may be able to facilitate the use of metaphor for their students since it is a part of the lexicon which causes them the most difficulties. The inclusion of the study of metaphors in a specific English language programme can provide students with a useful tool to interpret vocabulary, improve reading skills and understand different cultural backgrounds. Our aim is to put forward a didactic proposal to be used in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programmes at a Master’s course currently taught at the University of Almería, Spain, in order to develop students’ metaphorical competence within the foreign language learning process

The board of directors and international decision-making

This paper develops a view of how specific elements of the directors' human and social capital can enhance a company's international performance. We have taken the view that the board is an active participant in the firm’s management, and we have therefore set out and tested a number of arguments related to the board’s role in the adoption of international decisions. Specifically, our results point to the need to incorporate board members with high levels of education and international background with ability to learn and process information and to help international decision-making. As shown by our results, a high level of external connectivity of directors could have negative repercussions for internationalization since they limit the time spent on the board and therefore reduces the cohesion and trust inside the board. The implications of this research, therefore, are important for both executives and academics, as it helps to know what attributes contribute to the board’s effectiveness in such a way as to positively affect the internationalization of the firm

CSR communication and media channel choice in the hospitality and tourism industry

Despite extensive research on corporate engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR), studies on CSR communication in the hospitality and tourism industry are scarce. Deepening this line of research is necessary to understand properly the real effects of CSR communication on consumers' attitudinal and behavioral responses to companies. In this paper, we test a causal model of CSR communication for this industry based on the hierarchy-of-effects framework. Based on attribution theory, we also explore whether media channel choice affects consumers' perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions in the model. Performing an ANOVA test and multisampling structural equation modeling (SEM), we test our model of CSR communication with two samples that receive the same CSR information about a restaurant chain through a controlled media channel (i.e., corporate website) and a media channel that is uncontrolled by the company (i.e., online newspaper). We collected data from 226 and 240 participants, respectively. The findings suggest that the conceptual model is consistent across the two samples, although the media channel choice significantly affects the strength of several relationships in the model. While consumer?company identification is a stronger mediator in consumers' responses to the CSR message when read in the newspaper, trust is more important for consumers when they evaluate the corporate website. Nevertheless, both media channels report good business returns to the company in terms of consumers' purchase and advocacy intentions. These findings have relevant implications for hospitality and tourism companies, promoting the incorporation of both controlled and uncontrolled media channels into integrated marketing communication strategies

Copies of copies: appropriation of appropriation in Contemporary Art

Este artículo estudia la apropiación como repetición y copia. Propone un análisis del Apropiacio-nismo desde dos enfoques: la desviación de significados debida a cambios de temporalidad de la obra y su contexto, y la desviación generada con la aparición de la conectividad global gracias a la web 2.0, y a la materialización del Arte Digital. El artículo propone, en primer lugar, un análisis temporal de la obra After Walker Evans de Sherrie Levine, como forma de apropiación clásica de-rivada de la desviación contextual. En segundo, un acercamiento al mundo del Arte Digital para analizar la apropiación de la apropiación, copias de copias, como forma de remediación basada en el concepto de “Arte como bien común” y su enfoque hacia la materialización del Arte Digital. Para ello serán estudiadas las obras aftersherrielevine.com y Printwikipedia de Michael Mandiberg y Street Ghost y Overexposed Series de Paolo Cirio.This article studies appropriation as a form of repetition and copy. The text proposes an analysis of Appropriationism from two points of view: the deviation of meanings derived from changes on the temporality of the work and its context, the deviation generated by the appearance of global con-nectivity thanks to Web 2.0, and by the materialization of Digital Art. The article proposes, firstly, a temporal analysis of Sherrie Levine’s work After Walker Evans as a form of classic appropriation derived from the contextual deviation. Secondly, an approach to Digital Art to analyse the appro-priation of appropriation, copy of copy, as a form of remediation based on the concept of "Art as a common good" and its focus on the materialization of Digital Art. Michael Mandiberg’s works After-sherrielevine.com and Printwikipedia and Paolo Cirio’s works Street Ghost and Overexposed Se-ries will be set to study