Motivating Learners by Meeting Their Needs: The Introduction of a Business English Track at the unibz Language Centre

Autor/in	Ennis, Michael Joseph
Titel	Motivating Learners by Meeting Their Needs: The Introduction of a Business English Track at the unibz Language Centre
Quelle	(2020), (22 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Ennis, Michael Joseph)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Student Motivation; Extracurricular Activities; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; English (Second Language); Business English; Foreign Countries; Barriers; Language Proficiency; Required Courses; English for Special Purposes; Student Needs; Multilingualism; Universities; Language Tests; Labor Market; Blended Learning; Distance Education; Personal Autonomy; Feedback (Response); Employers; Italy + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schulische Motivation; Außerunterrichtliche Aktivität; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Business; English language; Wirtschaft; Englisch; Wirtschaftsenglisch; Ausland; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Pflichtkurs; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; University; Universität; Language test; Sprachtest; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Individuelle Autonomie; Italien
Abstract	One of the greatest challenges faced by university language centers in Italy is finding ways to motivate students to complete extracurricular language courses offered to help them meet their language proficiency requirements for graduation. It was hypothesized that the root of the problem was that the existing course offerings focus too narrowly on the most urgent need of meeting language requirements, and that one solution might be to shift from the teaching of languages for general purposes to the teaching of languages for specific purposes. This chapter examines this approach from the perspective of the widely recognized, but seldom empirically studied, link between ESP and motivation vis-à-vis the satisfaction of learner needs. After an analysis of some of the unfulfilled needs of students at the trilingual Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, the present paper relies upon both qualitative and quantitative data to report the impact of a pilot Business English track of courses which has been introduced in order to increase student participation and sustain their motivation by meeting four specific needs: 1) their need for Business English in order to gain a competitive advantage in an internationalized labor market; 2) their dual need to pass an internationally recognized English language exam in order certify their English proficiency and demonstrate to employers their specific skills in Business English; 3) their need for blended and distance learning options as well as negotiable assignment submission deadlines in order to grant them the flexibility, agency, and autonomy their active lives as students demand; 4) their need for continuous assessment in order to provide the feedback, support, and structure they need to complete such a course. [This chapter was published in: E. Bonetto, M. J. Ennis, & D. Unterkofler (Eds.), "Teaching Languages for Specific and Academic Purposes in Higher Education -- English, Deutsch, Italiano" (pp. 243-264). Bozen-Bolzano, Italy: Bozen-Bolzano University Press.] (As Provided).
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01