Tatjana Sinkus - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tatjana Sinkus

Research paper thumbnail of Engineering student perceptions of AI technology implementation in ESP

Engineering for Rural Development, May 22, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Specific Needs of Business Administration Students in Professional English Course Design

Educational Alternatives, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating intercultural dimension in esp course for undergraduate IT students

22nd International Scientific Conference Engineering for Rural Development Proceedings

Increased interdependent relationship between nations in the modern world requires professionals ... more Increased interdependent relationship between nations in the modern world requires professionals to be able to communicate effectively with people of diverse cultures. It is generally acknowledged that English is the most important language of the Information and Communication Technology sphere and most IT students will need to use English at work. However, nowadays, an impressive command of the English language is incomplete in the professional IT context, developing intercultural competence is becoming a progressively vital trend. The Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies is no exception to this tendency, in order to enhance employability and competitiveness, ESP courses comprising an intercultural dimension are designed for undergraduate IT students. The aim of the present research is to explore ways how promoting intercultural competence can be integrated within an ESP syllabus and to examine students’ opinions about participating in the course. Two groups of under...

Research paper thumbnail of Postgraduate engineering students’ reflections on blended learning in academic English course

21st International Scientific Conference Engineering for Rural Development Proceedings

Within the COVID-19 pandemic period teachers at higher educational institutions have been forced ... more Within the COVID-19 pandemic period teachers at higher educational institutions have been forced to shift their traditional classroom strategies to blended learning which involves a combination of online instructional format with traditional face-to-face one. This approach to education has also been adopted by foreign language teachers of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and integrated into the Academic English course for postgraduate engineering students. The present research highlights the importance of reflection in the educational process and is aimed to investigate students' perceptions of their blended learning experience. In the course of the study, a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire were administred involving postgraduate engineering students. The analysis of the results obtained in student reflection provided empirical evidence to the claim that the students were advantageously influenced as a result of the blended learning environment in the Academic English course. Most of the students confirmed that all necessary Academic English skillsreading, writing, listening and speaking can be developed in a hybrid format, that blended learning environment promotes self-directed learning skills and enhances motivation to study the foreign language. The majority of the respondents reported value of virtual reality that increased meaningful interaction and built a sense of community and spoke in favor of continuing education in blended learning context. The final part of the article presents conclusions of the research findings and recommendations for the EAP practitioners which could also be used in an ordinary post pandemic study process.

Research paper thumbnail of Learner-Centered Curriculum Development: English for Research Professionals

ICERI2021 Proceedings, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Business-Related Competences in a Case Study-based Professional English Course in Business Administration Studies

A professional English course in business administration studies at the university should lay emp... more A professional English course in business administration studies at the university should lay emphasis on the specific demands and interests of students studying in this programme and requirements of English language knowledge imposed by the business domain. Development of business-related competences in the professional English course is essential for future entrepreneurs who will use English in multiple business contexts to run a successful and competitive business. The aim of the study was to develop and to approbate such business-related competences as business management and personal management in a professional English course in business administration studies. The author of the article emphasizes the idea that the development of business-related competences can be enhanced if the case study method is applied. The results of the study were obtained in a pedagogical experiment involving business administration students in case study modules within a professional English course....

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Transversal Competences in Case Study-based Professional English Course in Business Administration Studies

Rural Environment. Education. Personality (REEP), 2020

Transversal competences are fundamental in the 21st century and necessary for every higher educat... more Transversal competences are fundamental in the 21st century and necessary for every higher educational institution graduate as they are prerequisites for well-being and success in life, adapting to the changeable and complex world and meeting multiple demands of today's society, being competitive in the labour market, managing profitable business and developing an enterprise. The aim of the study was to describe the process of developing such transversal competences as critical thinking, collaboration and creativity in case study-based professional English course in business administration studies. The results were obtained in a pedagogical experiment involving business administration students in case study modules within the professional English course. The students developed transversal competences during a case study-based course and the article presents ways of how practical acquisition of critical thinking, collaboration and creativity competences was achieved.

Research paper thumbnail of The Development of Professional English Language Competence in Business Administration Studies

Competence-based education is a perennial goal of higher education caused by economic, political,... more Competence-based education is a perennial goal of higher education caused by economic, political, social and innovative processes which appeared together with the global market economy. This article focuses on the development of professional English language competence in the professional English course in business administration studies in higher education institutions. The aim of the study was to define the term 'professional English language competence for entrepreneurs', select and substantiate its componential contents and develop a model for the development of professional English language competence for entrepreneurs. As a result of the theoretical study it was possible to determine the following components of professional English language competence: transversal competences (comprising critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, innovative thinking and lifelong learning competences), business-related competences (comprising business management and personal management competences) and foreign language-related competences (comprising linguistic, interpersonal, strategic and pragmatic competences). The model for the development of student professional English language competence is presented in the article. The created model can be used for professional English language teaching in business administration studies as it observes specific features of entrepreneurship.

Research paper thumbnail of The Implementation of Transformative Case Study Model for the Development of Professional English Language Competence in Business Administration Studies

Rural Environment Education Personality (REEP), 2019

Transformative learning is one of the most significant and popular theories in the field of highe... more Transformative learning is one of the most significant and popular theories in the field of higher education. This article emphasizes the case study method usage in professional English language teaching as supporting transformative learning. It presents a transformative case study model and reports that transformative learning applied in case study modules develops student professional English language competence, which is of vital importance as it enables the learners to face complex demands of their future career. The main aim of the present research was to implement the transformative case study model in the professional English course and to determine its impact on student professional English language competence development. The results of the empirical research conducted by the author confirm that by implementation of the study program using the case study method and transformative learning principles, it is possible to promote professional English language competence of business administration students. The created transformative case study model can be applied in the professional English course as it observes specific features of entrepreneurship.

Research paper thumbnail of Transformative learning for professional English language competence development in business administration studies

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Specific Needs of Business Administration Students in Professional English Course Design

Educational Alternatives, 2018

This article describes a needs analysis conducted on the stage when the teacher planned and devel... more This article describes a needs analysis conducted on the stage when the teacher planned and developed a professional English course for the students of Business Administration in high school. In order to investigate the importance of professional English language knowledge in the sphere of entrepreneurship and to identify in what specific situations entrepreneurs use English in regular work situations in Latvian context, business experts, owners of companies were interviewed. Then, Latvian specialists in Business Administration participated in a questionnaire which aim was to investigate the importance and prevalence of business administrators’ duties performed at work in English. The author also investigated the opinion of Latvian business administrators on what should be the main focus of professional English course: what are the most important language areas and which of the skills should be given priorities in order to perform duties in the foreign language at work after graduat...

Research paper thumbnail of Engineering student perceptions of AI technology implementation in ESP

Engineering for Rural Development, May 22, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Specific Needs of Business Administration Students in Professional English Course Design

Educational Alternatives, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating intercultural dimension in esp course for undergraduate IT students

22nd International Scientific Conference Engineering for Rural Development Proceedings

Increased interdependent relationship between nations in the modern world requires professionals ... more Increased interdependent relationship between nations in the modern world requires professionals to be able to communicate effectively with people of diverse cultures. It is generally acknowledged that English is the most important language of the Information and Communication Technology sphere and most IT students will need to use English at work. However, nowadays, an impressive command of the English language is incomplete in the professional IT context, developing intercultural competence is becoming a progressively vital trend. The Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies is no exception to this tendency, in order to enhance employability and competitiveness, ESP courses comprising an intercultural dimension are designed for undergraduate IT students. The aim of the present research is to explore ways how promoting intercultural competence can be integrated within an ESP syllabus and to examine students’ opinions about participating in the course. Two groups of under...

Research paper thumbnail of Postgraduate engineering students’ reflections on blended learning in academic English course

21st International Scientific Conference Engineering for Rural Development Proceedings

Within the COVID-19 pandemic period teachers at higher educational institutions have been forced ... more Within the COVID-19 pandemic period teachers at higher educational institutions have been forced to shift their traditional classroom strategies to blended learning which involves a combination of online instructional format with traditional face-to-face one. This approach to education has also been adopted by foreign language teachers of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and integrated into the Academic English course for postgraduate engineering students. The present research highlights the importance of reflection in the educational process and is aimed to investigate students' perceptions of their blended learning experience. In the course of the study, a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire were administred involving postgraduate engineering students. The analysis of the results obtained in student reflection provided empirical evidence to the claim that the students were advantageously influenced as a result of the blended learning environment in the Academic English course. Most of the students confirmed that all necessary Academic English skillsreading, writing, listening and speaking can be developed in a hybrid format, that blended learning environment promotes self-directed learning skills and enhances motivation to study the foreign language. The majority of the respondents reported value of virtual reality that increased meaningful interaction and built a sense of community and spoke in favor of continuing education in blended learning context. The final part of the article presents conclusions of the research findings and recommendations for the EAP practitioners which could also be used in an ordinary post pandemic study process.

Research paper thumbnail of Learner-Centered Curriculum Development: English for Research Professionals

ICERI2021 Proceedings, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Business-Related Competences in a Case Study-based Professional English Course in Business Administration Studies

A professional English course in business administration studies at the university should lay emp... more A professional English course in business administration studies at the university should lay emphasis on the specific demands and interests of students studying in this programme and requirements of English language knowledge imposed by the business domain. Development of business-related competences in the professional English course is essential for future entrepreneurs who will use English in multiple business contexts to run a successful and competitive business. The aim of the study was to develop and to approbate such business-related competences as business management and personal management in a professional English course in business administration studies. The author of the article emphasizes the idea that the development of business-related competences can be enhanced if the case study method is applied. The results of the study were obtained in a pedagogical experiment involving business administration students in case study modules within a professional English course....

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Transversal Competences in Case Study-based Professional English Course in Business Administration Studies

Rural Environment. Education. Personality (REEP), 2020

Transversal competences are fundamental in the 21st century and necessary for every higher educat... more Transversal competences are fundamental in the 21st century and necessary for every higher educational institution graduate as they are prerequisites for well-being and success in life, adapting to the changeable and complex world and meeting multiple demands of today's society, being competitive in the labour market, managing profitable business and developing an enterprise. The aim of the study was to describe the process of developing such transversal competences as critical thinking, collaboration and creativity in case study-based professional English course in business administration studies. The results were obtained in a pedagogical experiment involving business administration students in case study modules within the professional English course. The students developed transversal competences during a case study-based course and the article presents ways of how practical acquisition of critical thinking, collaboration and creativity competences was achieved.

Research paper thumbnail of The Development of Professional English Language Competence in Business Administration Studies

Competence-based education is a perennial goal of higher education caused by economic, political,... more Competence-based education is a perennial goal of higher education caused by economic, political, social and innovative processes which appeared together with the global market economy. This article focuses on the development of professional English language competence in the professional English course in business administration studies in higher education institutions. The aim of the study was to define the term 'professional English language competence for entrepreneurs', select and substantiate its componential contents and develop a model for the development of professional English language competence for entrepreneurs. As a result of the theoretical study it was possible to determine the following components of professional English language competence: transversal competences (comprising critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, innovative thinking and lifelong learning competences), business-related competences (comprising business management and personal management competences) and foreign language-related competences (comprising linguistic, interpersonal, strategic and pragmatic competences). The model for the development of student professional English language competence is presented in the article. The created model can be used for professional English language teaching in business administration studies as it observes specific features of entrepreneurship.

Research paper thumbnail of The Implementation of Transformative Case Study Model for the Development of Professional English Language Competence in Business Administration Studies

Rural Environment Education Personality (REEP), 2019

Transformative learning is one of the most significant and popular theories in the field of highe... more Transformative learning is one of the most significant and popular theories in the field of higher education. This article emphasizes the case study method usage in professional English language teaching as supporting transformative learning. It presents a transformative case study model and reports that transformative learning applied in case study modules develops student professional English language competence, which is of vital importance as it enables the learners to face complex demands of their future career. The main aim of the present research was to implement the transformative case study model in the professional English course and to determine its impact on student professional English language competence development. The results of the empirical research conducted by the author confirm that by implementation of the study program using the case study method and transformative learning principles, it is possible to promote professional English language competence of business administration students. The created transformative case study model can be applied in the professional English course as it observes specific features of entrepreneurship.

Research paper thumbnail of Transformative learning for professional English language competence development in business administration studies

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Specific Needs of Business Administration Students in Professional English Course Design

Educational Alternatives, 2018

This article describes a needs analysis conducted on the stage when the teacher planned and devel... more This article describes a needs analysis conducted on the stage when the teacher planned and developed a professional English course for the students of Business Administration in high school. In order to investigate the importance of professional English language knowledge in the sphere of entrepreneurship and to identify in what specific situations entrepreneurs use English in regular work situations in Latvian context, business experts, owners of companies were interviewed. Then, Latvian specialists in Business Administration participated in a questionnaire which aim was to investigate the importance and prevalence of business administrators’ duties performed at work in English. The author also investigated the opinion of Latvian business administrators on what should be the main focus of professional English course: what are the most important language areas and which of the skills should be given priorities in order to perform duties in the foreign language at work after graduat...