Transcript TRANSITION - University College London

As Simple as ABC?:
Issues of Transition for English Language
A Level Students going on to study
English Language/ Linguistics in Higher
Education
THE SIXTH FORM PERSPECTIVE
Angela Goddard & Adrian Beard
York St John University
Data Sources: AS Level students
April 2006: 271 questionnaires - students asked to
rate their courses for interest, relevance, variety
(12 Comps, 4 Ind, 3 FE, 1Gr, 1 6th coll)
July 2006: 3 focus groups (32 students) intending
to go to university. Asked about language topics
they hoped to study, and about learning and
teaching in school/HE
(10 Comps, 1 Gr, 1 FE)
Data Sources: A Level Teachers
April 2006: 3 focus groups of teachers
accompanying AS students – asked about
approaches to teaching and learning, links
with HE (5 Comps, 3 Ind, 2 FE, 1 6th coll)
June & October 2006: 61 teachers on INSET
programmes questioned about their subject
knowledge & previous training
National assessment: Who’s Who
QCA
AQA
EDEXCEL
OCR
WJEC
CCEA
National assessment: Time line
• 6 module system finishes with A2 in 2009
• 4 module system begins for AS in 2008
• This means new specifications with some
material inevitably ‘lost’
AS/A2 Numbers
Figures for Summer 2006:
AS: 24,387 (c.67% female, 33% male)
A2: 18,370 ( c.64% female, 36% male)
English Language:
QCA Assessment Objectives 2008
• Linguistic methods & terminology
• Concepts and issues in the construction
and analysis of spoken and written
language
• Understanding of context
• Expertise and creativity in the use of
English
• Show knowledge of key constituents of
language
AS/A2 CONTENT
Common to all courses in 2008:
• familiarity with traditional notions of language
‘levels’
• analysis of varieties of spoken and written data,
including texts over time
• study of some sociolinguistic topics
• an individual research investigation into an area
of language study
• students producing their own texts through
various kinds of writing (and perhaps speaking)
English Language Units (AQA Spec
B from 2008)
1. Categorising Texts : (genre theory )
2. Creating Texts: Analysis of a style model;
creation of own text; analytical
commentary
3. Developing Language: acquisition and
change
4. Investigating Language: Data collection
& analysis; creation of a media
representation of this
From National to Local
• In effect the ‘national’ A level specification
becomes customised at a more local level
depending on the nature of the institution
and its students
• So a multicultural comprehensive is likely
to take a different approach to content
and principles from a monocultural
grammar school ( if it does English
Language at all)
Grade A
• At A level approximately 13% are awarded
grade A
• The comparative figure for English
Literature is approximately 25%
STUDENTS INTENDING TO TAKE
ANOTHER SUBJECT TO HE
When asked which subject at HE, from
202 responses, 76 different subjects were
named including:
Architecture, Art and Design, Business,
Chemistry, Dance, Fashion, Film,
Geography, History, Law, Maths, Media,
Medicine, MFL, Nursing, PE, Philosophy,
Psychology, Sociology, Teaching,
Theology, Vet Science
AS Students
• Had enjoyed:
• Saw their learning as:
Accent and dialect work
Representation
Original writing
Language & gender
Language in the media
Language & technology
Group-oriented
Participatory
Interactive & discursive
‘Independence’ meant
presenting own ideas;
reading, if set, was in order
to do a task afterwards
Independent Reading
32 AS students had indicated they might
go on to read English Language
• 3 said they had been given a reading list
• 19 had no recommended reading at all
• 10 had been given short readings and
extracts to study
AS Students
• Hoped HE courses
would offer:
Language acquisition
Language & gender
Language in the media
Accents & dialects
Language & power
Sociolinguistics
• Expected HE courses
to involve:
A wider range of
teaching staff
Very small interactive
sessions as well as
lectures
Essay writing and
independent study
STUDENTS INTENDING TO
CONTINUE SUBJECT TO HE
On 5 point scale they rated their A level
English Language:
Interest:
87% Excellent – Good
Relevance:
77% Excellent – Good
Variety :
60% Excellent – Good
A Level Teachers
In their own teaching, try:
In their subject knowledge,
many feel:
Not to be too didactic
To work from data
To encourage
independence
To accommodate a wide
range of ability levels and
needs
That teaching A Level Lang
is rewarding but…
That they are under –
prepared for some aspects
of the subject and…
Unfamiliar with the HE
sector in this subject
Teacher Subject Knowledge
61 ‘1st time’ teachers were surveyed
1.Did you teacher training include A level
language? Yes : 12 No : 49
2.Do you need help with subject knowledge
as much as methodology? Yes 53 No: 8
UCAS: WHAT’S THE SUBJECT
CALLED?
English leads to
English Language as one option
English Linguistics Studies as another
……………………………………………
English Language then offers courses in
both English Language and English
Language and Linguistics but…
..English Linguistics Studies offers neither
UCAS: WHAT’S THE SUBJECT
CALLED?
What do the following courses mean?
• English and English Language
• English Language and English
• English with English Language &
Communication
• English and Language and Linguistics
• English Studies and English
Language/Linguistics
WHAT’S THE SUBJECT CALLED?
Questions for internal consideration:
• What is meant by English?
• Are subject/course names the result of
institutional battles and compromises?
• What do your course names mean outside of
your own peer group?
• What are you saying ‘about this degree’ in
UCAS site? For example, what does this entry
requirement mean?: “English Literature or
English – Language & Literature required”
STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT
LEVEL 1
Question: Was A Level English Language a
good preparation for your degree course?
Yes = 112 ( 78%)
No = 32 ( 22%)
STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT
LEVEL 1
Question: Did you repeat any material from A Level in level
1of your degree?
Yes = 96 ( 71%)
No = 40 (29%)
Question : Did the repetition bother you?
Yes = 4%
No = 96%
Question: Has your course so far matched your
expectations of what it would be when you applied?
Yes = 180 ( 82%)
No = 39 ( 18%)
STUDENT VOICES AT LEVEL 1
At A Level I was guided through the course. I had contact
with my tutor at least three times a week on a one to one
basis and my class size was never above 10. University
teaching is quite daunting, particularly the size of lectures
and the lack of personal tutoring
Independent learning is studying from home or
library, but doing it on your own…I do it…but motivation
can be affected when there seems to be too little guidance
LECTURERS’ VOICES
Students are especially able to say things
about texts.
Some students worry about structural
aspects and are scared of difficulty.
They lack the confidence to analyse
because they are uncertain of the
metalanguage.
OVERVIEW FROM HE
PERSPECTIVE
• Where lecturers knew about the nature of
A Level work, they tended to be more
positive about their students’ abilities
• There was a general perception that
students arrived with a culture of
dependency and insecurity
• Most lecturers were concerned about their
students’ lack of metalinguistic knowledge
Conclusions & recommendations
for HE
• HE programmes – transparency & naming
• HE tutors - knowledge of A Level helps
• Metalanguage – how can it be best
approached?
• Teacher training/links with school sector
• Independent learning – what is it? how can
it be developed in HE contexts?
• Planning for transition – eg front-loading of
resources
LAST WORD
I have found the transition from a level to
degree to be quite a natural progression. I
think I would have struggled with this
degree course if I had not taken English
Language at A level.