Students of Today Changing English Language Studies of Yesterday

Authors

  • Irena Vodopija-Krstanović University of Rijeka
  • Maja Brala Vukanović University of Rijeka

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.12.2.175-189

Keywords:

English Language Studies (ELS), Bologna Process, learning outcomes, job market, curriculum development

Abstract

In recent times, concern has been expressed as to whether English Language Studies are in tune with the wider social, political, technological and economic trends, and the latest developments in applied linguistics and English language education. In line with these views, the aim of this study is to explore – by means of interviews with 25 English majors from the University of Rijeka – the students’ expectations with respect to the skills and competencies (to be) developed in their course of English studies, their relevance to the job market, as well as the teaching approaches and methods used to reach these learning outcomes. By comparing and contrasting the emerging educational trends triggered by the Bologna Process with primary data collected in our interviews, we focus on the implications that our results might have in terms of introducing changes to traditional English Language Studies educational paradigms.

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Author Biography

Irena Vodopija-Krstanović, University of Rijeka

Irena Vodopija-Krstanović is Assistant Professor and Vice-dean for Education and Student Affairs at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Rijeka.  She teaches graduate courses in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and the Cultural Aspects of ELT in the English Department, and has also taught in the English Department at the University of Klagenfurt. Irena received a Ph.D. in TESOL from Klagenfurt University, Austria, an M.A. in TESOL from the SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont, USA, and a B.A. in English and French from Zagreb University, Croatia. Her research interests and publications focus on (inter)cultural issues in ELT, the pedagogical implications of English as an international language, the native/non-native divide in TESOL, and English-medium instruction in higher education. She is co-editor of the book “The Global and Local Dimensions of English: Exploring Issues of Language and Culture” (LIT Verlag). Irena is also a member of the Certification Board for EFL Teachers in Croatia.

Elope Vol. 12 No. 2

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Published

29.12.2015

How to Cite

Vodopija-Krstanović, I., & Brala Vukanović, M. (2015). Students of Today Changing English Language Studies of Yesterday. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 12(2), 175–189. https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.12.2.175-189

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2015): ELOPE Vol. 12 No. 2

Section

English Language and Literature Teaching

License

Copyright (c) 2015 Irena Vodopija-Krstanovic

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