wenli tsou - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by wenli tsou
English Teaching & Learning, Nov 8, 2023
Using English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in content areas has become popular in Asian uni... more Using English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in content areas has become popular in Asian universities to attract international students. EMI teachers in Taiwanese universities, typically with little EMI pedagogical training, need to cope with students speaking different native languages with mixed English proficiency levels. Using multiple languaging resources with other modalities, or known as translanguaging, seems a promising approach to deal with the current challenges. This study investigated how eight EMI university teachers in Taiwan used different language resources to assist content delivery, student comprehension, and teacher–student interaction. Two strategies were identified from the discourse data: instructional and interactional. The former was used to enhance student comprehension of the content materials through translation and paraphrasing. The latter was used to engage students’ participation and enhance communication fluency, but it may be less advantageous t...
Proceedings of the 2021 AERA Annual Meeting
English as a Medium of Instruction in Higher Education
Assessment, which can be understood both as periodic sampling and measurement, and as ongoing pla... more Assessment, which can be understood both as periodic sampling and measurement, and as ongoing planning for and provision of feedback, can provide a basis for understanding the characteristics of good practices in EMI courses. As the demand for the development of EMI course assessment increases, more investigation of primary EMI teachers’ current assessment practices within their specific institutional requirements is needed. However, little research has been conducted on issues related to EMI course assessment, or to teachers’ perceptions regarding the criteria for designing assessments, and the means of modification if English is identified as the source of learning difficulty. In order to establish a better view of the current role of EMI course evaluation in Taiwan, this chapter aims to understand EMI teachers’ perceptions on designing course assessments including the format, criteria, and methods of accommodating students’ learning difficulties. This study will first examine the literature from the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) environment, particularly with regard to assessing students’ competence of content knowledge. The study will then present findings from 29 EMI teachers who have taught EMI courses at the tertiary level in Taiwan. Finally, this chapter will suggest a model framework for EMI course assessment.
OLBI Journal, 2022
In 2018, Taiwan announced a bilingual education policy. Since then, bilingual teacher development... more In 2018, Taiwan announced a bilingual education policy. Since then, bilingual teacher development has been a national priority, which has created anxiety and concerns among local Taiwanese teachers, who are expected to teach in the English medium. By extending the core values, design principles and inspired practices from New London Group’s (1996) pedagogy of multiliteracies (PoM), we present how a local Taiwanese teacher in a Grade 1 content and language integrated learning mathematics class successfully leveraged translingual and trans-semiotic resources in an English-as-a-foreign-language context, which in turn facilitated learners’ multilingual production. The findings show that trans-semiotizing helps bilingual teachers effectively deliver and support content learning, whereas translanguaging enables bilingual teachers to create a positive environment which encourages learners’ multilingual production. This study provides an opportunity for Taiwan’s educators to productively na...
In this concluding chapter we provide a synthesis of the discussions and findings from the nine p... more In this concluding chapter we provide a synthesis of the discussions and findings from the nine previous chapters included in this edited volume. To aid this process we make use of the ROAD-MAPPING framework (Dafouz and Smit in ROAD-MAPPING English medium education in the internationalised university. Palgrave Macmillan UK, Cham, Switzerland, 2020). This framework provides a structure for drawing out key elements from the chapters and also enables a comparison between the studies collected here and other EMI research that also adopts the ROAD-MAPPING framework. We begin with a detailed outline of the six interrelated and overlapping dimensions of ROAD-MAPPING: Roles of English (RO), Academic Disciplines (AD), Management (M), Agents (A), Practices and Processes (PP), Internationalisation and Glocalisation (ING). This is followed by an overview of key themes from the chapters in this volume presented according to the six dimensions of the framework. We conclude by suggesting that whil...
This introductory chapter makes the case for the research focus on translanguaging in English med... more This introductory chapter makes the case for the research focus on translanguaging in English medium instruction (EMI) in Asia’s higher education. This chapter first describes the features of EMI programs, and how the phenomenon of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has introduced new directions and insights in English education. This is followed by an overview of the opportunities and key challenges of EMI at the policy and implementation levels. Then, related concepts and the use of translanguaging as a glocalized strategy in Asia’s ELF contexts are discussed. Finally, an overview of the chapters by researchers contributing to this volume is provided.
This study first investigates the current level of awareness towards genres of academic writing a... more This study first investigates the current level of awareness towards genres of academic writing among students at a public university in Taiwan, and then measures the effect of genre-based writing instruction on the students' genre awareness and the quality of their writing for the argumentative text type. Eighty-six sophomores enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course were randomly divided into control and experimental groups, and completed tests on genre awareness and argumentative writing before and after the genre-based writing instruction courses. Over seven weeks, the experimental group received weekly training sessions on the relationship between text and context, rhetorical structure, and lexico-grammatical features of eight key academic text types. Through small group activities, they analyzed and practiced writing the text types. Finally, both groups were measured on their writing abilities. 117 Results showed that although both groups displayed a low l...
English Teaching & Learning, 2020
In 2018, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the national bilingual education (BE) pol... more In 2018, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the national bilingual education (BE) policy and its commitment toward implementing full-scale bilingualization in the national education system. Though the details for putting the policy into practice at local contexts across the nation are still under discussion, small-scale experiments had been conducted by individual schools in different cities prior to the MOE announcement. One unique case was the CLIL pilot program fully organized and supported by Tainan City government, launched 1 year ahead of the national policy. This paper discusses the experience in Tainan CLIL program from three aspects: the medium of instruction, foreign teacher recruitment, and the needs of bilingual teacher education. The findings will help inform the national policy as MOE formulates more specific implementation guidelines. In comparing the Tainan pilot experience and MOE’s policy, the study will show that the MOE policy was influenced by the traditional English as a native language (ENL) ideologies, even though in many parts of the world educators have adopted the English as a lingua franca (ELF) framework in curriculum design. A BE program with ELF perspectives will not only integrate multicultural awareness in curriculum design, but also value teachers’ and students’ multilingual resources in teaching and learning in the classroom. An ELF-informed BE policy will view local teachers’ empowerment as a crucial step to successful CLIL implementation. In light of our findings, the MOE’s bilingual education policies should be examined and updated with awareness of the ELF phenomenon and the experience of Tainan’s CLIL pilot program
Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 2021
Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the prin... more Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the principal means of communication employed among speakers of different linguistic backgrounds to interact worldwide. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the pedagogical implications and applications of ELF in language teaching and learning. Few works, though, have investigated the influence of ELF in bilingual education such as in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current paper describes the design and implementation of a CLIL + ELF observation tool that was used to study a pilot CLIL program in Taiwan and to anticipate CLIL teachers’ training needs. The data collected from the rubric were contrasted with several unstructured interviews. The rubric contains 10 criteria developed from previous CLIL and ELF studies including: learners’ L1 and L2 proficiency; teachers’ L2 proficiency; teachers’ ability to reflect upon their practice; their familiarity with CLIL ...
This chapter discusses how interaction can be encouraged in engineering courses. To many educator... more This chapter discusses how interaction can be encouraged in engineering courses. To many educators in Taiwan, EMI and non-EMI teachers alike, interactive tasks belong in the language classroom and are not suitable in content courses. In fact, teachers often complain about having to reduce content in an EMI classroom, leaving little or no time for activities. However, it is commonly acknowledged that EMI teachers often need to deal with a passive class, where students are unresponsive and avoid interaction with the teacher. This chapter will first review literature on engineering education to demonstrate that an interactive approach in teaching not only makes learning more interesting but also allows teachers to gain insights into student learning. The chapter will then present and discuss the findings from four EMI courses offered by an undergraduate mechanical engineering (ME) program in a comprehensive university in southern Taiwan. Finally, the chapter will suggest quick but effe...
It is generally agreed that English has gradually become the common language for international co... more It is generally agreed that English has gradually become the common language for international communication. This phenomenon has led to the increasing adoption of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English-medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education, where English is considered as a powerful learning tool and language training has focused on improving college graduates’ academic, professional and global competence. However, the effort is limited by traditional teaching approaches still favored in Taiwan’s primary and secondary education. Up to now, English education in Taiwan has not prepared primary and secondary students to utilize English in a meaningful way. Today’s English education has remained an academic subject, focusing on linguistic knowledge, to be learned in order to receive a high mark in university admission examinations and to reach a higher proficiency level in standardized tests. As a result, when these students go to higher education, where they have to use...
Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación, 2017
Facing a rapidly changing global environment, educators around the world have argued for a need t... more Facing a rapidly changing global environment, educators around the world have argued for a need to incorporate a global perspective in local educational policy making. The present study undertakes such a glocal project examining medical writing of international physicians and Taiwanese interns. In this study, the Corpus of English for Medical Purpose (CEMP) has been created. There are 50 experts' (49,655 words) and 50 students' (9,829 words) medical writing samples respectively. The moves and steps used between the two groups were analyzed from three linguistic features, voice form, tense, and grammatical subject. Then, a parallel corpus was consulted in an attempt to explain the rhetoric features unique to Taiwanese writers. Based on the findings, a framework is proposed to provide guidance for the instruction and learning of medical writing. The findings contribute to medical education by highlighting how the dual forces of the target and native languages shape students' medical writing.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2022
Journal of English as a Lingua Franca
Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the prin... more Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the principal means of communication employed among speakers of different linguistic backgrounds to interact worldwide. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the pedagogical implications and applications of ELF in language teaching and learning. Few works, though, have investigated the influence of ELF in bilingual education such as in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current paper describes the design and implementation of a CLIL + ELF observation tool that was used to study a pilot CLIL program in Taiwan and to anticipate CLIL teachers’ training needs. The data collected from the rubric were contrasted with several unstructured interviews. The rubric contains 10 criteria developed from previous CLIL and ELF studies including: learners’ L1 and L2 proficiency; teachers’ L2 proficiency; teachers’ ability to reflect upon their practice; their familiarity with CLIL ...
This study examined the influence of instruction using English storytelling on the performance of... more This study examined the influence of instruction using English storytelling on the performance of adult English learners. Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to two different English classes for one semester in this study. Both reading comprehension tests and recall writings of the participants were administered for the purpose of comparison between groups. The findings indicate that storytelling instruction elicits increased student interaction; facilitates EFL reading and story-recall writings; and changes the nature of classroom discourse, providing for more scaffolding interaction. With regard to language development, there were statistically demonstrable differences favoring the storytelling group in terms of comprehending reading material and employing story structures in writing.
Textbooks play a major role in learning. It therefore follows that a lack of required vocabulary ... more Textbooks play a major role in learning. It therefore follows that a lack of required vocabulary amongst university students may lead to inadequate reading comprehension thus directly influence the development of their professional knowledge. In order to help engineering students expand their vocabularies to a satisfactory level, this study was undertaken to investigate the level of vocabulary knowledge required for successful textbook comprehension. A corpus, including 10 commonly used textbooks in the School of Engineering, was compiled as an instrument. 3,941 required words were then selected to create a Fundamental Engineering wordlist (FEW). The FEW was further divided into general service, academic, technical, and supplementary word categories. A vocabulary test was carried out amongst 124 engineering students to measure their receptive knowledge of the vocabulary on the list. The results of the study revealed that (1) students recognized 60% of the words on the FEW; (2) in te...
English as a Medium of Instruction in Higher Education
English Teaching & Learning, Nov 8, 2023
Using English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in content areas has become popular in Asian uni... more Using English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in content areas has become popular in Asian universities to attract international students. EMI teachers in Taiwanese universities, typically with little EMI pedagogical training, need to cope with students speaking different native languages with mixed English proficiency levels. Using multiple languaging resources with other modalities, or known as translanguaging, seems a promising approach to deal with the current challenges. This study investigated how eight EMI university teachers in Taiwan used different language resources to assist content delivery, student comprehension, and teacher–student interaction. Two strategies were identified from the discourse data: instructional and interactional. The former was used to enhance student comprehension of the content materials through translation and paraphrasing. The latter was used to engage students’ participation and enhance communication fluency, but it may be less advantageous t...
Proceedings of the 2021 AERA Annual Meeting
English as a Medium of Instruction in Higher Education
Assessment, which can be understood both as periodic sampling and measurement, and as ongoing pla... more Assessment, which can be understood both as periodic sampling and measurement, and as ongoing planning for and provision of feedback, can provide a basis for understanding the characteristics of good practices in EMI courses. As the demand for the development of EMI course assessment increases, more investigation of primary EMI teachers’ current assessment practices within their specific institutional requirements is needed. However, little research has been conducted on issues related to EMI course assessment, or to teachers’ perceptions regarding the criteria for designing assessments, and the means of modification if English is identified as the source of learning difficulty. In order to establish a better view of the current role of EMI course evaluation in Taiwan, this chapter aims to understand EMI teachers’ perceptions on designing course assessments including the format, criteria, and methods of accommodating students’ learning difficulties. This study will first examine the literature from the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) environment, particularly with regard to assessing students’ competence of content knowledge. The study will then present findings from 29 EMI teachers who have taught EMI courses at the tertiary level in Taiwan. Finally, this chapter will suggest a model framework for EMI course assessment.
OLBI Journal, 2022
In 2018, Taiwan announced a bilingual education policy. Since then, bilingual teacher development... more In 2018, Taiwan announced a bilingual education policy. Since then, bilingual teacher development has been a national priority, which has created anxiety and concerns among local Taiwanese teachers, who are expected to teach in the English medium. By extending the core values, design principles and inspired practices from New London Group’s (1996) pedagogy of multiliteracies (PoM), we present how a local Taiwanese teacher in a Grade 1 content and language integrated learning mathematics class successfully leveraged translingual and trans-semiotic resources in an English-as-a-foreign-language context, which in turn facilitated learners’ multilingual production. The findings show that trans-semiotizing helps bilingual teachers effectively deliver and support content learning, whereas translanguaging enables bilingual teachers to create a positive environment which encourages learners’ multilingual production. This study provides an opportunity for Taiwan’s educators to productively na...
In this concluding chapter we provide a synthesis of the discussions and findings from the nine p... more In this concluding chapter we provide a synthesis of the discussions and findings from the nine previous chapters included in this edited volume. To aid this process we make use of the ROAD-MAPPING framework (Dafouz and Smit in ROAD-MAPPING English medium education in the internationalised university. Palgrave Macmillan UK, Cham, Switzerland, 2020). This framework provides a structure for drawing out key elements from the chapters and also enables a comparison between the studies collected here and other EMI research that also adopts the ROAD-MAPPING framework. We begin with a detailed outline of the six interrelated and overlapping dimensions of ROAD-MAPPING: Roles of English (RO), Academic Disciplines (AD), Management (M), Agents (A), Practices and Processes (PP), Internationalisation and Glocalisation (ING). This is followed by an overview of key themes from the chapters in this volume presented according to the six dimensions of the framework. We conclude by suggesting that whil...
This introductory chapter makes the case for the research focus on translanguaging in English med... more This introductory chapter makes the case for the research focus on translanguaging in English medium instruction (EMI) in Asia’s higher education. This chapter first describes the features of EMI programs, and how the phenomenon of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has introduced new directions and insights in English education. This is followed by an overview of the opportunities and key challenges of EMI at the policy and implementation levels. Then, related concepts and the use of translanguaging as a glocalized strategy in Asia’s ELF contexts are discussed. Finally, an overview of the chapters by researchers contributing to this volume is provided.
This study first investigates the current level of awareness towards genres of academic writing a... more This study first investigates the current level of awareness towards genres of academic writing among students at a public university in Taiwan, and then measures the effect of genre-based writing instruction on the students' genre awareness and the quality of their writing for the argumentative text type. Eighty-six sophomores enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course were randomly divided into control and experimental groups, and completed tests on genre awareness and argumentative writing before and after the genre-based writing instruction courses. Over seven weeks, the experimental group received weekly training sessions on the relationship between text and context, rhetorical structure, and lexico-grammatical features of eight key academic text types. Through small group activities, they analyzed and practiced writing the text types. Finally, both groups were measured on their writing abilities. 117 Results showed that although both groups displayed a low l...
English Teaching & Learning, 2020
In 2018, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the national bilingual education (BE) pol... more In 2018, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the national bilingual education (BE) policy and its commitment toward implementing full-scale bilingualization in the national education system. Though the details for putting the policy into practice at local contexts across the nation are still under discussion, small-scale experiments had been conducted by individual schools in different cities prior to the MOE announcement. One unique case was the CLIL pilot program fully organized and supported by Tainan City government, launched 1 year ahead of the national policy. This paper discusses the experience in Tainan CLIL program from three aspects: the medium of instruction, foreign teacher recruitment, and the needs of bilingual teacher education. The findings will help inform the national policy as MOE formulates more specific implementation guidelines. In comparing the Tainan pilot experience and MOE’s policy, the study will show that the MOE policy was influenced by the traditional English as a native language (ENL) ideologies, even though in many parts of the world educators have adopted the English as a lingua franca (ELF) framework in curriculum design. A BE program with ELF perspectives will not only integrate multicultural awareness in curriculum design, but also value teachers’ and students’ multilingual resources in teaching and learning in the classroom. An ELF-informed BE policy will view local teachers’ empowerment as a crucial step to successful CLIL implementation. In light of our findings, the MOE’s bilingual education policies should be examined and updated with awareness of the ELF phenomenon and the experience of Tainan’s CLIL pilot program
Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 2021
Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the prin... more Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the principal means of communication employed among speakers of different linguistic backgrounds to interact worldwide. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the pedagogical implications and applications of ELF in language teaching and learning. Few works, though, have investigated the influence of ELF in bilingual education such as in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current paper describes the design and implementation of a CLIL + ELF observation tool that was used to study a pilot CLIL program in Taiwan and to anticipate CLIL teachers’ training needs. The data collected from the rubric were contrasted with several unstructured interviews. The rubric contains 10 criteria developed from previous CLIL and ELF studies including: learners’ L1 and L2 proficiency; teachers’ L2 proficiency; teachers’ ability to reflect upon their practice; their familiarity with CLIL ...
This chapter discusses how interaction can be encouraged in engineering courses. To many educator... more This chapter discusses how interaction can be encouraged in engineering courses. To many educators in Taiwan, EMI and non-EMI teachers alike, interactive tasks belong in the language classroom and are not suitable in content courses. In fact, teachers often complain about having to reduce content in an EMI classroom, leaving little or no time for activities. However, it is commonly acknowledged that EMI teachers often need to deal with a passive class, where students are unresponsive and avoid interaction with the teacher. This chapter will first review literature on engineering education to demonstrate that an interactive approach in teaching not only makes learning more interesting but also allows teachers to gain insights into student learning. The chapter will then present and discuss the findings from four EMI courses offered by an undergraduate mechanical engineering (ME) program in a comprehensive university in southern Taiwan. Finally, the chapter will suggest quick but effe...
It is generally agreed that English has gradually become the common language for international co... more It is generally agreed that English has gradually become the common language for international communication. This phenomenon has led to the increasing adoption of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English-medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education, where English is considered as a powerful learning tool and language training has focused on improving college graduates’ academic, professional and global competence. However, the effort is limited by traditional teaching approaches still favored in Taiwan’s primary and secondary education. Up to now, English education in Taiwan has not prepared primary and secondary students to utilize English in a meaningful way. Today’s English education has remained an academic subject, focusing on linguistic knowledge, to be learned in order to receive a high mark in university admission examinations and to reach a higher proficiency level in standardized tests. As a result, when these students go to higher education, where they have to use...
Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación, 2017
Facing a rapidly changing global environment, educators around the world have argued for a need t... more Facing a rapidly changing global environment, educators around the world have argued for a need to incorporate a global perspective in local educational policy making. The present study undertakes such a glocal project examining medical writing of international physicians and Taiwanese interns. In this study, the Corpus of English for Medical Purpose (CEMP) has been created. There are 50 experts' (49,655 words) and 50 students' (9,829 words) medical writing samples respectively. The moves and steps used between the two groups were analyzed from three linguistic features, voice form, tense, and grammatical subject. Then, a parallel corpus was consulted in an attempt to explain the rhetoric features unique to Taiwanese writers. Based on the findings, a framework is proposed to provide guidance for the instruction and learning of medical writing. The findings contribute to medical education by highlighting how the dual forces of the target and native languages shape students' medical writing.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2022
Journal of English as a Lingua Franca
Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the prin... more Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the principal means of communication employed among speakers of different linguistic backgrounds to interact worldwide. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the pedagogical implications and applications of ELF in language teaching and learning. Few works, though, have investigated the influence of ELF in bilingual education such as in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current paper describes the design and implementation of a CLIL + ELF observation tool that was used to study a pilot CLIL program in Taiwan and to anticipate CLIL teachers’ training needs. The data collected from the rubric were contrasted with several unstructured interviews. The rubric contains 10 criteria developed from previous CLIL and ELF studies including: learners’ L1 and L2 proficiency; teachers’ L2 proficiency; teachers’ ability to reflect upon their practice; their familiarity with CLIL ...
This study examined the influence of instruction using English storytelling on the performance of... more This study examined the influence of instruction using English storytelling on the performance of adult English learners. Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to two different English classes for one semester in this study. Both reading comprehension tests and recall writings of the participants were administered for the purpose of comparison between groups. The findings indicate that storytelling instruction elicits increased student interaction; facilitates EFL reading and story-recall writings; and changes the nature of classroom discourse, providing for more scaffolding interaction. With regard to language development, there were statistically demonstrable differences favoring the storytelling group in terms of comprehending reading material and employing story structures in writing.
Textbooks play a major role in learning. It therefore follows that a lack of required vocabulary ... more Textbooks play a major role in learning. It therefore follows that a lack of required vocabulary amongst university students may lead to inadequate reading comprehension thus directly influence the development of their professional knowledge. In order to help engineering students expand their vocabularies to a satisfactory level, this study was undertaken to investigate the level of vocabulary knowledge required for successful textbook comprehension. A corpus, including 10 commonly used textbooks in the School of Engineering, was compiled as an instrument. 3,941 required words were then selected to create a Fundamental Engineering wordlist (FEW). The FEW was further divided into general service, academic, technical, and supplementary word categories. A vocabulary test was carried out amongst 124 engineering students to measure their receptive knowledge of the vocabulary on the list. The results of the study revealed that (1) students recognized 60% of the words on the FEW; (2) in te...
English as a Medium of Instruction in Higher Education