English for specific purposes (ESP) as part of Finnish university

In Finland the teaching of English at secondary and upper secondary school levels and the overall positive attitudes towards English in society have created a firm foundation for the use, acquisition and development of English as the most common foreign language (Härmälä, Huhtanen & Puukko 2014, 149), which consequently facilitates the efficient teaching and development of English for specific purposes (ESP) at university level. English does hold a unique role in Finnish society as the most important foreign language in the media, business and everyday life (Leppänen

& Nikula 2007, 339) and the comprehensive approach to English also prior to HE studies has enabled most students to enter their university studies with good English language competence, developed during their formal education years and additionally in various non-formal, informal and lifelong language learning environments as foreign language skills are rarely acquired solely in the classroom but rather through a combination of instruction and exposure (Benson 2009, 217).

In practical terms, most students entering Finnish universities should have B2 level English proficiency in the scale of the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), as it is the language proficiency level in the required foreign

29 language and also the skill level of the so-called A–language² of the matriculation examination taken at the end of the upper secondary school (Finnish National Board of Education 2003, 100). The B2 level is described as the ‘vantage’ level of an independent language user (Council of Europe 2001, 24) and is summarised in competence-based

‘can do’ statements characteristic of the CEFR skill level descriptions in figure 3.3 below.

35 Figure 3.3. B2 level of language proficiency in the CEFR scale (Council of Europe 2001, 24)

It is reasonable to assume that most Finnish students entering their university studies, especially with a matriculation examination certificate, would indeed possess English language proficiency equivalent or relatively close to the B2 level and that they would also have previous experience of self-assessing their skill level as Finnish students study languages with references to the CEFR levels throughout their secondary and upper secondary education (Alanen, Huhta, Jarvis, Martin & Tarnanen 2012, 18). However, as Finnish students also come to universities with varying backgrounds of prior education and prior learning in languages, it can be challenging to estimate the overall levels of English language skills of all Finnish university students.

Yet the transition from general English to an academic and field-specific focus can be argued to be facilitated by the generally positive attitudes towards English, the exposure to the language in Finnish society, and by the field-specific nature of ESP language learning, i.e. the explicit connection between the language and the student’s chosen field of study. After all, ESP courses in Finnish universities are intended to enable students to proceed efficiently with their studies where much of the course literature, lecture notes, current research and even teaching may be in English, and to prepare them for the future demands presented by modern working lives. Previous studies have also indicated that Finnish university students appreciate the ESP and other LSP studies they undertake during their HE education and find them a positive, relevant, meaningful and enjoyable experience (Helle 1995, 21–22; Elsinen 2000, 111;

Jalkanen & Taalas 2013, 85).

Can understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation.

Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity without much obvious searching for expressions.

Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.

Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

B2

Figure 3.3. B2 level of language proficiency in the CEFR scale (Council of Europe 2001, 24)

It is reasonable to assume that most Finnish students entering their university studies, especially with a matriculation examination certificate, would indeed possess English language proficiency equivalent or relatively close to the B2 level and that they would also have previous experience of self-assessing their skill level as Finnish students study languages with references to the CEFR levels throughout their secondary and upper secondary education (Alanen, Huhta, Jarvis, Martin & Tarnanen 2012, 18).

However, as Finnish students also come to universities with varying backgrounds of prior education and prior learning in languages, it can be challenging to estimate the overall levels of English language skills of all Finnish university students.

Yet the transition from general English to an academic and field-specific focus can be argued to be facilitated by the generally positive attitudes towards English, the exposure to the language in Finnish society, and by the field-specific nature of ESP language learning, i.e. the explicit connection between the language and the student’s chosen field of study. After all, ESP courses in Finnish universities are intended to enable students to proceed efficiently with their studies where much of the course literature, lecture notes, current research and even teaching may be in English, and

2 The Finnish National Core Curriculum for a foreign language started in grades 1-6 of comprehensive school, the so-called Advanced language or A–language, includes in upper secondary school six compul-sory courses and two specialisation courses to be completed within three years. The courses also create the basis for the matriculation examination content, exercises and assessment.

to prepare them for the future demands presented by modern working lives. Previous studies have also indicated that Finnish university students appreciate the ESP and other LSP studies they undertake during their HE education and find them a positive, relevant, meaningful and enjoyable experience (Helle 1995, 21–22; Elsinen 2000, 111;

Jalkanen & Taalas 2013, 85).

The relevance of ESP to the students’ studies emanates from the ESP courses and teaching relying on academic and field-specific needs analyses to generate a great variety of teaching methods, exercises, activities and practice, all with the aim of preparing students for their studies and future commitments with relevant and authentic materials (Douglas 2000, 2; 2013, 373). The creation of tailor-made materials for each discipline and course by ESP lecturers, while time-consuming and labour-intensive, also provides a focused way for both the students and the ESP lecturers to concentrate on the needs specified in the course learning outcomes whether professional, academic or both (Bocanegra-Valle 2010, 143). While academic English is included in most ESP courses in Finnish universities, some courses can also be defined as purely English for academic purposes (EAP), where the focus is on learning and developing academic English skills for study and research purposes through academic texts, communicative situations and other content relating to English in academic and scientific circumstances (Carkin 2005, 86; Hyland & Hamp-Lyons 2002, 2).

Research on ESP in the Finnish language centre context since the early 1990s has focused primarily on the students, their needs and on efforts to develop ESP teaching (e.g. Mason 1991). However, overall in Finnish HE, ESP research has been more active not in universities but in the polytechnics/UASs where the development of vocational and professional language teaching and language learning has been more prominent.

In the UAS context, language studies, including ESP studies, have been researched and development work with language requirements conducted by Airola (2009), Airola and Kantelinen (2008; 2009), Kankkunen and Voutilainen (2007), Kantelinen (2007), Kantelinen and Airola (2009) and Rytkönen (2007), with a focus on the English language needs and requirements of UAS students and employers in Finland. Much of the research specifically on English for business purposes or business communication in Finnish HE, as is also the specific focus of this study, has similarly been carried out in a polytechnic/UAS context intended to develop existing ESP/EBP and business English teaching methods through needs analyses and examinations of employer requirements (Airola 2004; 2014; Huhta 2010; Salminen 1995; 1999; Louhiala-Salminen, Charles & Kankaanranta 2005; Sjöberg 2002).

In the Finnish university language centre setting recent research on ESP has been conducted on topics such as student experiences of language and learning (Pitkänen, Siddall & Lehtonen 2013), learning environments (Bergroth-Koskinen & Seppälä 2012;

Sainio 2013), development of teacher research (Lehtonen, Pitkänen & Vaattovaara 2015) and the development of recognition processes for formal, non-formal and informal learning (Amendolara, Bradley & Martin 2013; Anttila, Granstedt-Ketola, Hirvonen, Karjalainen, Laulajainen & Lautiainen 2014; Tuomainen 2014). The development work with ESP studies in Finnish universities has in many respects been necessitated by the highly heterogeneous nature of the students in language centre courses. As language studies are an obligatory part of all Finnish university degrees, unlike faculties language centres are not in a position to select their students

31 but instead encounter every academic year the spectrum of individuals studying at any university, with variance in age, prior education and experiences, levels of language motivation, aptitude, field-specific expertise and academic and professional targets (cf. Kantelinen 1998, 109). In fact Karlsson-Fält (2010, 135–149), based on her phenomenographic research with Finnish university language centre teachers, has argued that Finnish university students studying LSP courses range anywhere from ambitious, goal-oriented and interested in language learning to students only seeking to complete the required credits. As ESP courses are indeed a required part of Finnish university degrees but not the subject the student has enrolled to study, this can pose motivational challenges for some students. Consequently, for ESP teachers to ensure successful and beneficial learning experiences, the key is to create courses as relevant to the students’ academic and professional needs as possible, with varied, suitable and pedagogically sound teaching methods, materials or learning environments, created through a strong research-oriented approach, while also allowing for effective recognition processes for skills already acquired elsewhere.

Many language centre teachers at Finnish universities are in fact primarily focused on the active development of their teaching methods, materials and learning environments as demand for increasingly versatile study paths and options continues to grow, which effectively means this pedagogical quality frequently transpires at the expense of time or resources for research as language centres continue to face financial restrictions, an increasingly common trend also throughout HE studies in Finland and in the EHEA. Already in the mid-1990s scholars lamented the lack of resources with Finnish language centre teaching, with the dichotomy of targets of the study, i.e. attaining sufficient academic and professional LSP skills and the minimal teaching resources, including limited contact hours (Carlson 1995, 88–89; Sajavaara 1998, 96; Kantelinen 1998, 109). Little change appears to have transpired since then as in recent years the increased demands of modern international work settings have led to claims that the small number of credits and limited classroom teaching resources in language centres may no longer be enough to meet today’s professional requirements (Stenlund & Mällinen 2013, 25). Therefore, despite the requirements for field-specific language skills in Finnish university degrees, language centres continually face challenges for adequate funding and resources to meet the needs and wishes of students for increased language learning opportunities, with also Tuomi and Rontu (2011, 47), both Finnish university language centre directors, acknowledging the reduced university funding for language and communication studies “despite overt claims towards internationalisation”. Similar unfortunate trends can be seen elsewhere in the EHEA, where the lack of investment in language centres has led to closings of projects such as academic writing centres or even entire language centres (Dijk, Engelen & Korebrits 2013, 361).

Nevertheless, a growing point of interest in ESP research in Finnish university language centres, such as in this study, is also the recognition of students’ learning acquired outside of the ESP classroom, with universities and university language centres across Europe committed to the recognition of all forms of learning. The learning and learner-centred approach to ESP is after all based on lifelong learning policies where the individual learner needs, including non-academic requirements and informal learning experiences, together with personal growth and development,

are respected. This focus on academic and field-specific language learning and proficiency development adopted by Finnish university language centres therefore enables the recognition of the different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives of the diverse student population.

3.4 RECOGNITION OF NON - FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING