THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF

1. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF María del Mar Sánchez Pérez (Dep. English and German Philology) María Sagrario SalaberriRamiro (Dep. English and German Philology) Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro (Dep. Rural Engineering) UNIVERSITY OF ALMERIA SPAIN

2. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. Abstract Bilingual education has recently become one of the key teaching objectives at different educational stages all around Europe. Although this phenomenon has been mostly experienced in early educational stages such as primary or secondary, it is currently being displaced to tertiary levels. The implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the increasing need to attract students from third countries have speed the processes of language policy implementation in many of the Spanish Higher Education institutions. Nevertheless, university teaching professionals consider there is still a lack of methodological techniques and teaching strategies for this purpose, which has increased the need and demand of such resources among the bilingual teaching community. As a result, they have to deal with the traditional teaching methodologies commonly used in their lectures in a bilingual context. The present study analyzes the preferences a difficulties found by lecturers when using certain types of audiovisual media to support their teaching in bilingual classrooms. Data were obtained from questionnaires conducted online to 20 lecturers from four different universities of the South of Spain. Results show how these audiovisual media have a high level of satisfaction among the teaching community when used in lessons taught in a foreign language, despite being less used that certain traditional methodologies.

3. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. Index • INTRODUCTION. • THE AGRIFOOD CAMUS OF INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE (ceiA3). • OBJECTIVES. • METHODOLOGY. • RESULTS. • SAMPLE STUDIED. • ANALYSIS OF METHODOLOGIES. • DISCUSSION. • CONCLUSIONS • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

4. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 1. INTRODUCTION. The European Higher Education System is undergoing a process of profound changes. We have recently witnessed a continuous growth of interest and concern for the domain of languages different from the native ones. Many programs and projects related to plurilingualism have increased and are being implemented in different Spanish universities. This trend is motivated by the new demands of the current knowledge-based society, and on the other, to the creation of a European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In the region of Andalusia, many universities are increasingly introducing foreign languages in courses of very different knowledge areas. This increase in the implementation of language learning strategies has to do with the European Commission paper on ‘Teaching and learning: Towards the Learning Society’. The vertiginous speed in the implementation of these programs has caught lecturers unaware in the adoption of methodologies adapted to the needs required by the bilingual education projects. Consequently, a desperate demand of new methodological and teaching techniques has arisen among the bilingual teaching community.

5. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 1.1. The Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3). The Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3) is a joint initiative between five Andalusian Universities: Almería (UAL), Córdoba (UCO), Cádiz (UCA), Jaén (UJA) and Huelva (UHU). This nomination was awarded in 2009 by the Spanish Ministry of Education and represents a unique opportunity to take a qualitative leap to become the ceiA3 an international reference and, at the same time, constitute a major factor for the development of the agrifood sector in Andalusia. In this paper, only the degrees attached to the Agrifood Campus of International Excellence will be studied. 1.1.1. Plurilingual practices at ceiA3 universities. CeiA3 universities are currently promoting different projects related to the promotion of multilingualism in their classrooms. Not all the universities own an official plan for Plurilingualism promotion. Only the universities of Almería (UAL) and Jaén (UJA) have a structured plan under the framework of which a foreign language is being introduced in their syllabi – the Plurilingualism Promotion Plan and the PATIE, respectively. The rest offer some sporadic courses taught in a second language with no structured framework regulating it

6. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 2, OBJECTIVES The present study shows the perception of lecturers of ceiA3 degrees when using audiovisual media-related types of methodologies in lessons taught in a foreign language – mainly English, in accordance with their level of satisfaction and level of difficulty, compared to certain traditional methodologies used in higher education such as the magistral class.

7. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 3. METHODOLGY. In order to carry out the study, a semi-structured survey addressed to lecturers of courses taught in a foreign language of all ceiA3 universities – mainly English. The survey was conducted in four of the five ceiA3 universities (UAL, UJA, UCO and UHU) during the academic year 2011-2012 in all the degrees attached to ceiA3. The first part of the survey was related to social classification and contained items regarding gender, age, university of origin, degree, etc. The second part of the survey contained a series of methodologies included in the official teaching guide of the universities. These were divided into theoretical sessions, practical sessions, group work sessions and external practices. The variables analyzed for each type of methodology were: level of satisfaction (LS) and level of difficulty (LD) found by the respondents when teaching in a foreign language. Finally, the last part of the survey had to do with questions related to the benefits and efforts perceived by teaching through a foreign language and the willingness to repeat the experience. The present study will be focused on the second part of the survey. Due to the large amount of methodologies studied, only a representative sample of them will be analyzed. These will be the audiovisual projections, videoconferences and magistral class.

8. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 4. RESULTS.4.1. Social classification. Table 1 shows the number of lecturers that took the survey in accordance with gender distinction and university of origin.

9. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 4.2. Analysis of methodologies. 4.2.1. Audiovisual projections. Figures 1 and 2 show the level of satisfaction (LS) and the level of difficulty (LD) found by lecturers when using audiovisual projections in lessons taught in a foreign language. it can observed that the level of satisfaction (LS) found by the lecturers using these resources in a foreign language is notably high (25% high, 25% very high), whereas a small amount of the respondents consider to have a low level of satisfaction (2% low). As for the level of difficulty (LD), a great part of the respondents using these resources think to find a low level of difficulty with this type of media (20% low and 10% very low). These results show the preference of lecturers in the use of these resources in lessons taught in a foreign language, probably due to the fact that it helps support the oral production side lecturers in a non-native language.

10. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 4.2.2. Videoconference. Figures 3 and 4 show the level of satisfaction (LS) and the level of difficulty (LD) found by lecturers when using the videoconference in foreign language lessons. It is remarkable in this type of methodology the great amount of non-respondent lecturers nor to their level of satisfaction (LS) neither to their level of difficulty (LD). This may be because many of them do not or seldom use this type of resource in their lessons taught in a foreign language. This is striking since this is the kind of interactive-addressed activity that should be promoted in bilingual classrooms. Out of the rest of respondents, the majority of them consider to have a relatively high level of satisfaction (15% high and 5% very high), but, at the same time, a high or medium level of difficulty (13% medium and 11% high) is reported. This may be due to the fact that this type of methodology requires further preparation to engage students to participate actively and to the difficulty that supposed to play the role of moderator.

11. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 4.2.3. Magistral class. Figures 5 and 6 show the level of satisfaction (LS) and the level of difficulty (LD) found by lecturers when using the of magistral class methodology in a foreign language. With regard to this first type of methodology, we can observe that the level of satisfaction (LS) found by the lecturers when using it in a foreign language is notably high (36% high, 11% very high), whereas a small amount of the respondents consider to have a low level of satisfaction (7% low and 3% very low). As for the level of difficulty (LD), a great part of the respondents think to find a high level of difficulty with this type of methodology (31% high and 5% very high), whereas almost a 20% find it little difficult (15% low and 3% very low).

12. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 5. DISCUSSION. We can observe that, although lecturers show a high level of satisfaction when using audiovisual projections and videoconferences in lessons taught in a foreign language, there is still a significant percentage of respondents who seem not to use them very often. At the same time, it is observable that, although the magistral class is the teaching method mostly used among the respondents, it is the one having the highest level of difficulty when used in a foreign language. This reflects the widespread reluctance in the change of teaching methods among the higher education teaching community even when facing such particular contexts as bilingual lessons.

13. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 6. CONCLUSIONS. The present paper provides a sample of the results of a larger project that require a further and more exhaustive analysis. However the sample analyzed provides us with a representative idea of the preferences and difficulties found both by lecturers and students when using certain audiovisual media in bilingual lessons in higher education.

14. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 6. CONCLUSIONS. As a general conclusion, we can state that audiovisual projections and videoconferences are considered to be satisfying and relatively easy methodologies among the surveyed lecturers. However, it is appreciated a considerable lack of use of these resources in comparison with other traditional teaching methods as the magistral class, showing the latter, in turn, a relatively high level of difficulty, probably due to the fact of requiring a more active role in the oral production in a foreign language. This shows how there are still many lecturers who feel reluctant to change their traditional methods by some audiovisual media in their lessons, that have been proved to provide great benefit, even when teaching in a foreign language.

15. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 6. CONCLUSIONS. This study should serve as a reflection point towards a change in the mentality of the current teaching system in the Spanish higher education institutions. The introduction of a second language in university classrooms inevitably requires a switch in teaching methods that focuses on the student’s learning process and on the use of new resources that complement the oral productive role of the lecturer. Methodologies that promote interaction and cooperative learning should be introduced in bilingual classrooms gradually replacing those methodologies that foster a more passive role of the students. Only with this change in the adoption of different teaching methods in bilingual university classrooms we will help students to achieve a proper acquisition of content knowledge and foreign language skills, which is, after all, one of the main purposes of the introduction of bilingual programs in higher education.

16. THE USE OF MEDIA FOR BILINGUAL TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING STAFF. 7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. This work has been conducted within the framework of a ceiA3 teaching innovation project: "Bilingualism in Engineering: Proposal of specific activities and methodologies for improvement”. (University of Almería).

17. Thanks for your attention