Abstract
The study examines the effectiveness of the innovative Job Lab collaborative approach in teaching graduates English. The Job Lab model, introduced by the University of Zilina, Slovakia, prepares students for the global market through student-centred learning. We focus on improving learners’ language proficiency, teamwork, and communication skills. Fifty graduates were randomly taken and divided into two groups (T-test). The study compared the experimental group (N = 25), which received Job Lab collaborative training, to the control group (N = 25), which received traditional teaching. Pre/post-tests and questionnaires were used to collect data, which showed that the experimental group had better testing results towards professional topic-based English language learning. Data was examined statistically using SPSS software (M, SD). Findings revealed that the experimental group, mainly due to students’ active collaborative participation and technology tool implementation, achieved better testing results and showed higher cognitive skills in language learning after the intervention. The study recommends a Job Lab approach in teaching English to reduce speaking anxiety and enhance students’ communicative higher-level cognitive skills.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Torrance, E.P.: Tests of Creative Thinking. Personnel Press, Lexington, MA (1974)
Oxford, R.L.: Cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and interaction: three communicative strands in the language classroom. Mod. Lang. J. 81, 443–456 (1997)
Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., Smith, K.A.: Cooperative learning: improving university instruction by basing practice on validated theory. J. Excell. Univ. Teach. 25, 1–26 (2014)
Mårtensson, K., Roxå, T., Olsson, T.: Developing a quality culture through the scholarship of teaching and learning. High. Educ. Res. Dev. 30(1), 51–62 (2011)
Pleschová, P., Roxå, T., Thomson, K.E., Felten, P.: Conversations that make meaningful changes in teaching, teachers, and academic development. Int. J. Acad. Dev. 26(3), 201–209 (2021)
Králová, Z., Kamenická, J.: Foreign Language Anxiety: Post-communist Country Context. Verbum, Praha (2019)
Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D.R., Airasian, P.W.: A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Complete ed. Longman, New York (2021)
Horwitz, E.K., Horwitz, M.B., Cope, J.: Foreign language classroom anxiety scale. Foreign language classroom anxiety. Mod. Lang. J. 70(2), 125–132 (1986)
Council of Europe: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment—Companion Volume. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg (2020)
Acknowledgement
This research and paper publishing was supported by the financial support of the Slovak National Grant Agency KEGA under Project: KEGA 007ŽU-4/2023 Job Labs Foreign language training for global market needs at UNIZA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kissová, O., Tengler, J. (2024). Job Lab Collaborative Approach: An Innovative Model for Enhancing Graduates’ English Language Skills. In: Auer, M.E., Cukierman, U.R., Vendrell Vidal, E., Tovar Caro, E. (eds) Towards a Hybrid, Flexible and Socially Engaged Higher Education. ICL 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 899. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51979-6_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51979-6_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-51978-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-51979-6
eBook Packages: Intelligent Technologies and RoboticsIntelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)