Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transitioning EAL Students from EFL Classes to EMI Programs at the University of Iceland

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Integrating Content and Language in Multilingual Universities

Part of the book series: Educational Linguistics ((EDUL,volume 44))

Abstract

The growth in English medium instruction (EMI) programs in Nordic higher education has exposed the limitations of traditional English as a foreign language (EFL) pedagogies in preparing students for studying in programs that require academic English (Arnbjörnsdóttir and Ingvarsdóttir, Language development across the life span: the impact of English on education and work in Iceland. Springer, Amsterdam, 2018b). This chapter describes a project that mapped the characteristics of English education at secondary level in Iceland and measured the findings against the expected functions of English at university. It outlines the divergence between the official status of EFL and the actual use of English as an additional language in Iceland. The findings are supported by results of a survey of almost 1100 university students about their use of English, two thirds of whom report difficulty in working with English at university. Many students claimed that instruction in secondary school did not prepare them for academic study in English. Finally, the chapter outlines a genre-based instructional approach that addresses identified challenges in writing English at university. The approach draws from a range of pedagogical traditions to operationalize a set of core competencies to improve writing in a single semester. Comparison between pre- and post-intervention surveys of over 800 participants from different language backgrounds and disciplines revealed improved perceptions of writing skills.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Archer, A., & Hughes, C. (2011). Explicit instruction: Effective and efficient teaching. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. (2009) Enska í háskólanámi [Using English in university studies]. Milli mála 1 [Between Languages]. Ársrit Stofnunar Vigdísar Finnbogadóttur [Annual Review of The Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute]. Reykjavík, Iceland. Retrieved from https://ojs.hi.is/millimala/article/view/1423/587

  • Arnbjörnsdóttir, B., & Ingvarsdóttir, H. (2010). Coping with English at university: Students’ beliefs. Ráðstefnurit Netlu – Menntakvika 10 [Netla, a webjournal on pedagogy and education]. Retrieved from http://netla.hi.is/menntakvika2010/008.pdf

  • Arnbjörnsdóttir, B., & Ingvarsdóttir, H. (2018a). Language development across the life span: The impact of English on education and work in Iceland. Berlin, Germany: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Arnbjörnsdóttir, B., & Ingvarsdóttir, H. (2018b). Simultaneous parallel code use. In B. Arnbjörnsdóttir & H. Ingvarsdóttir (Eds.), Language development across the life span: The impact of English on education and work in Iceland (pp. 163–178). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Arnbjörnsdóttir, B., & Prinz, P. (2014). An English academic writing course for secondary schools: A pilot study. Netla, veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun [Netla, a webjournal on pedagogy and education]. Retrieved from http://netla.hi.is/greinar/2013/ryn/018.pdf

  • Arnbjörnsdóttir, B., & Prinz, P. (2017). From EFL to EMI: Developing writing skills for the humanities. ESP Today, 5(2), 5–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernharðsson, H., & Kristinsson, A.P. (2014). Landerapport Island: Islandsk eller engelsk i islandsk universitetsvirksomhed [National report Iceland: Icelandic or English in the Icelandic university context]? In F. Gregersen (Ed.), Hvor parallelt: Om parallellspråkighet på Nordens universitet [How parallel: On parallel lanuage use at Nordic universities]. (pp. 427–486). TemaNord 2014, 535. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordic Council of Ministers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brevik, L. M. (2015). Strategies and shoes: Can we ever have enough? Teaching and using reading comprehension strategies in general and vocational programmes. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 61(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2015.1075310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deane, P., Odendahl, N., Quinlan, T., Fowles, M., Welsh, C., & Bivens-Tatum, J. (2008). Cognitive models of writing: Writing proficiency as a complex integrated skill. ETS Research Report Series. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.23338504.2008.tb02141.x

  • Dearden, J. (2015). English as a medium of insstruction – A growing global phenomenon. British Council. Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/ihe/knowledge-centre/english-language-higher-education/report-english-medium-instruction

  • Dimova, S., Hultgren, A. K., & Jensen, C. (2015). English-medium instruction in European higher education: English in Europe, 3. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: DeGruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Doolan, S. M. (2017). Comparing patterns of error in generation 1.5, L1, and L2 first-year composition writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 35, 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edgarsson, G. (2018). Academic vocabulary proficiency and reading comprehension among Icelandic secondary school students. In B. Arnbjörnsdóttir & H. Ingvarsdóttir (Eds.), Language development across the life span: The impact of English on education and work in Iceland (pp. 95–112). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Egilsdóttir, Ó. (2012). English reading comprehension of 9th grade students in Iceland (Unpublished bachelor thesis). University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. Retrieved from https://skemman.is/bitstream/1946/11077/1/%C3%93l%C3%B6f%20Hildur%20MA%20Ritger%C3%B0.pdf

  • Fleckenstein, L. (2016). Vocabulary in 10th Grade: The receptive vocabulary size of 10th graders in Iceland (Unpublished bachelor thesis). University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. Retrieved from https://skemman.is/bitstream/1946/23593/1/La%CC%81raMartaFleckensteinBAessay2016.pdf

  • Flowerdew, J. (2016). English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) writing: Making the case. Writing & Pedagogy, 8(1), 5–32. https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v8i1.30051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galbraith, D. (2009). Cognitive models of writing. German as a Foreign Language Journal, 2(3), 7–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gestsson, S., & Skúlason S. (2015). Samræmd könnunarpróf: Niðurstöður fyrir árið 2014 [National examinations: Results for 2014]. Rit 1. Reykjavík: Námsmatsstofnun. Retrieved from https://rafhladan.is/bitstream/handle/10802/9572/skyrsla_nidurstodur_2014.pdf?sequence=1

  • Guðmundsdóttir, J. G. (2015). Genre based pedagogy: The use of literature in EFL education at upper primary and secondary level in Iceland. Unpublished Master‘s Thesis. University of Iceland. https://skemman.is/bitstream/1946/20363/1/J%C3%B3na_Gu%C3%B0r%C3%BAn_Gu%C3%B0mundsd%C3%B3ttir.pdf

  • Guðmundsdóttir, G., & Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. (2014). Undirbúningur framhaldsskólanemenda fyrir notkun ensku í háskólanámi: Námskrár og nýtt íslenskt málumhverfi [Preparation of secondary school students’ for the use of English at university: Curriculum guides and the new linguistic context in Iceland]. Netla – Veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun [Netla, a webjournal on pedagogy and education]. Retrieved from http://netla.hi.is/greinar/2014/ryn/010.pdf

  • Hauksdóttir, A. (2013). Language and the development of national identity: Icelanders’ attitudes to Danish in turbulent times. In L. B. Christiansen, K. Hvenegård-Lassen, and N. K. Hansen (Eds.), Made in Denmark. Investigations of the dispersion of ‘Danishness’(pp. 65–94). KULT 1: Roskilde University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellekjær, G. O. (2005). The acid test: Does upper secondary EFL instruction effectively prepare Norwegian students for the reading of English textbooks at colleges and universities? (Doctoral dissertation) University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Retrieved from https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/32286

  • Hellekjær, G. O. (2008). A case for improved reading instruction for academic English reading proficiency. Acta Didactica Norge, 2(1). Available from https://www.journals.uio.no/index.php/adno/article/view/1022/901

  • Hellekjær, G. O. (2009). Academic English reading proficiency at the university level: A Norwegian case study. Reading in a Foreign Language, 21(2), 198–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hultgren, A. K., Gregersen, F., & Thøgersen, J. (2014). English in Nordic Universities: Ideologies and practices. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hyland, K. (2017). English in the discipline: Arguments for specificity. ESP Today, 1, 5–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingvarsdóttir, H. (2010). Same subject, different goals? The views of teachers and their learners in grade ten. Paper presented in a conference in honor of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, April 15–17, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingvarsdóttir, H. (2011). Teaching English in a new age: Challenges and opportunities. In B. Hudson & M. Meinert (Eds.), Beyond fragmentation: Didactics, learning and teaching in Europe (pp. 93–106). Opladen, Germany: Barbara Budrich Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ingvarsdóttir, H., & Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. (2018). University instructors’ views on using curriculum materials in English. In B. Arnbjörnsdóttir & H. Ingvarsdóttir (Eds.), Language development across the life span: The impact of English on education and work in Iceland (pp. 95–112). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingvarsdóttir, H., & Jóhannsdóttir, Á. (2018). Learning and using English: The views of learners at the end of compulsory education. In B. Arnbjörnsdóttir & H. Ingvarsdóttir (Eds.), Language development across the life span: The impact of English on education and work in Iceland (pp. 79–94). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jeeves, A. (2013). Relevance and the L2 self in the context of Icelandic secondary school learners: Learner views (Doctoral dissertation). The University fo Iceland. Reykjavík, Iceland. Retrieved from https://skemman.is/handle/1946/16755

  • Jóhannsdóttir, Á. (2010). English in the 4th grade in Iceland: Exploring exposure and measuring vocabulary size of 4th grade students. Ráðstefnurit Netlu – Menntakvika 2010. Netla – Veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun. Retrieved from http://netla.hi.is/menntakvika2010/007.pdf

  • Kern, R. (2000). Literacy and language teaching. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kern, R., & Nelson, M. (2012). Language teaching and learning in the postlinguistic condition. In L. Alsagoff, W. Renandya, G. Hu, & S. McKay (Eds.), Teaching English as an international language: Principles and practices. London, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavelle, E., & Guarino, A. J. (2003). A multidimensional approach to understanding college writing processes. Educational Psychology, 23(3), 295–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavelle, E., & Zuercher, N. (2001). The writing approaches of university students. Higher Education, 42(3), 373–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefever, S. (2010). English skills of young learners in Iceland. Ráðstefnurit Netlu – Menntakvika 2010. Netla – Veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun. Retrieved from http://netla.hi.is/menntakvika2010/021.pdf

  • Málstefna stjórnarráðsins [The government’s language policy] (2012). Retrieved from https://www.forsaetisraduneyti.is/media/frettir1/Malstefna-Stjornarradsins-161112.pdf

  • Mennta-og menningarmálaráðuneytið [Ministry of education, science and culture] (2013) Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla [National curriculum guide for compulsory schools with Subject Areas]. Retrieved from https://www.stjornarradid.is/verkefni/menntamal/namskrar/#Tab0

  • Mennta-og menningamálaráðuneytið [Ministry of education, science and culture] (2011a). Aðalnámskrá framhaldsskóla [National curriculum guide for secondary schools]. Retrieved from https://www.stjornarradid.is/verkefni/menntamal/framhaldsskolar/

  • Mennta-og menningamálaráðuneytið [Ministry of education, science and culture] (2011b). Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla. Almennur hluti II. [National curriculum guide for compulsory schools. General section II] Retrieved from https://www.stjornarradid.is/verkefni/menntamal/namskrar/#Tab0

  • Nesi, H., & Gardner, S. (2012). Genres across the disciplines. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordic Council of Ministers (2006). Deklaration om nordisk språkpolitik [A Nordic language policy declaration]. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordiska ministerrådet. Retrieved from http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:700895/FULLTEXT01.pdf

  • Oxford, R. L. (2015). Expanded perspectives on autonomous learners. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 9(1), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2014.995765

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paulsrud, B. Y. (2014). English medium instruction in Sweden: Perspectives and practices in two upper secondary schools. Stockholm, Sweden: Stockholm University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., Irvine, A., & Malmström, H. (2011). English textbooks in parallel language tertiary education. TESOL Quarterly, 45, 313–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pétursdóttir, M. (2013). Explicit teaching of academic vocabulary in EFL: Preparing Icelandic students for education at university level (Unpublished Master’s thesis). University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland. Retrieved from https://skemman.is/handle/1946/16397

  • Prinz, P., & Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. (2016). The art and architecture of academic writing. University of Iceland. Unpublished manuscript.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ranta, E. (2010). English in the real world vs. English at school – Finnish English teachers’ and students’ views. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 20, 156–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Segev-Miller, R. (2004). Writing from sources: ‘The effects of explicit instruction on college students’ processes and products. Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 4(1), 5–33. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ESLL.0000033847.00732.af

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. London, UK: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Iceland. (2018). Framhaldsskólastig. Retrieved August 3, 2018, from http://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Samfelag/Samfelag__skolamal__3_framhaldsskolastig__0_fsNemendur/SKO03109.px/?rxid=8e4642a0-5f50-4ef6-b8c6-adf77d073301

  • Swales, J. M. (2004). Research genres: Exploration and applications. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Swerts, S., & Westbrook, P. (2013). Preparing students and lecturers for English medium instruction at the University of Copenhagen. Sprogforum, 56, 71–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wächter, B., & Maiworm, F. (2014). English-taught programmes in European higher education: The state of play in 2014. ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education. Bonn, Germany: Lemmens Medien GmbH. Retrieved from http://www.aca-secretariat.be/fileadmin/aca_docs/images/members/ACA-2015_English_Taught_01.pdf

  • Zimmerman, B. (1989). A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(3), 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, B. J. (2013). From cognitive modeling to self-regulation: ‘A social cognitive career path’. Educational Psychologist, 48(3), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2013.794676

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute, Department of Languages and Cultures, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir

Authors
  1. Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Slobodanka Dimova

  2. University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Joyce Kling

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. (2020). Transitioning EAL Students from EFL Classes to EMI Programs at the University of Iceland. In: Dimova, S., Kling, J. (eds) Integrating Content and Language in Multilingual Universities. Educational Linguistics, vol 44. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46947-4_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46947-4_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-46946-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-46947-4

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation