Students who are not native English speakers are sometimes hesitant to engage with lecturers or fellow students as they are not confident of their proficiency in the English language. A recent study has suggested that the use of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) presented opportunities for students to use the English language in a natural setting. The aim of this study is to implement PBL in an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) class and evaluate whether this pedagogical approach is effective in encouraging students to use the English language. A pilot study with a class of 26 students in an EMI class was selected. Students were asked at the start of the class to complete an online survey indicating their confidence, proficiency and likelihood in using the English language. After completing the survey, the lesson was conducted using PBL where students were provided with a problem and learned the content knowledge through developing a solution for the problem. At the end of the lesson, students were asked to complete the same survey again. After removing incomplete responses, 18 responses remained. A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test showed a significant increase in the confidence (W = 24, p = .07) and likelihood in using the English language (W = 10, p = .07). However, there is no significant increase in the measure for proficiency in the English language (W = 22.5, p = .53). This suggests that PBL can instill students’ confidence and likelihood in using the English language.

Authors:
Ho Keat Leng, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Lynda Wee, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

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Posted by James Alexander Gordon

Last updated: 2023-02-23 23:45:00

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