CC BY
72
ББК Ш 13 (Ан) - 7
DETERMINING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES IN DESIGNING AN «ENGLISH FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES» COURSE N.L. Nikulshina
Department of Foreign Languages, TSTU
Represented by Professor M.N. Makeyeva and a Member of the Editorial Board Professor V.I. Konovalov
Key words and phrases: awareness, knowledge and skills; course design; language, context and strategies approach; post-graduate foreign language education; research discourse competence.
Abstract: The paper focuses on the basic framework component of “English for Research Purposes” course development, namely, determining its goals and objectives. To describe the goal of the course the notion of research discourse competence is introduced. Its structure and content are specified and detailed in terms of awareness, knowledge and skills of discourse behavior in the international scientific community. A threedimensional approach to objectives and their relationships is proposed.
Introduction
The problems of course and syllabus design are referred to basic issues in both native and foreign language teaching methodology. To provide a systemic way of conceiving a complex multilateral process of designing a course, three levels of its conceptualization have been proposed, namely: a theoretical one, that of proper design and that of practical application. The levels are interrelated and interdetermined. The first level provides a reasoned basis for the second one which is in its turn practically realized at the third level [1]. It is the level of designing “English for Research Purposes” course which is in the focus of this paper, the level of its theoretical grounds having been described in our earlier work [2].
The impetus for “English for Research Purposes” course came from classes I have already been teaching at Tambov State Technical University. Through contact with post-graduates in those classes I identified skills they were lacking and which they needed to meet the demands of international scientific communication. I tried to ascertain what contributed to the lack of skills, thus searching for what was needed to plug the gaps. The process of teaching itself was regarded as needs assessment. I decided that the gap between what the post-graduates could do and what they needed to do in order to function successfully (i.e. autonomously and competently) in the world of science should be filled in a separate course. With this idea in mind I proceeded to actually design a specialized EL course for teaching research discourse.
I found out that various frameworks that break down the process of course design into components and subprocesses had been developed [1, 3 - 6]. For example, Richards and Rodgers delineate the term design as specification of the general and specific
objectives, selection and organization of linguistic and/or subject-matter content as well as specification of the roles of learners, teachers, and instructional materials [1]. The framework proposed by K. Graves appears very similar and includes needs assessment, determining goals and objectives, conceptualizing content, selecting and developing materials, organization of content and activities, evaluation procedures, consideration of resources and constraints [4].
While much has been written on the methodology of course development, no information is available in literature on designing such a specific course as “English for Research Purposes” intended for learners at the stage of their post-graduate language education. So the aim of this paper is to highlight the process of setting the goals of the course and translating them into a set of concrete interrelated objectives. An attempt is also made to find the right way to categorize and organize them. The results of this study can be useful to university English language teachers who are charged with responsibility of designing specialized courses for young scientists.
Determining goals and objectives of an “English for Research Purposes” course
General notions of goals and objectives
It’s seems reasonable to start with generally accepted definitions of goals and objectives. Goals are usually defined as general statements concerning desirable and attainable program purposes and aims based on perceived language and situation needs. In deriving goals from perceived needs, four points are taken into account.
1 Goals are general statements of the program’s purposes.
2 Goals usually focus on what the program hopes to accomplish in the future, and particularly on what the students should be able to do when they leave the program.
3 Goals serve as a basis for developing more precise and observable objectives.
4 Goals are never viewed as permanent, that is, they “should never become set in cement” [3].
Objectives are defined as specific statements that describe the particular knowledge, behaviors, and/or skills that the learner will be expected to know or perform at the end of a course. Direct assessment of the objectives at the end of a course provides evidence that the objectives, and by extension the course goals, have been achieved or have not been achieved.
Developing goals into clear objectives is an effective way to clarify what should be going on in the language classroom. It is a way for a teacher to conceptualize her course in terms of teachable chunks. As K. Graves has pointed out, “ Breaking goals down into objectives is very much like making a map of the territory to be explored [4]. According to Nunan, objectives are closely associated with a particular way of formulating or stating content and activities [6]. For example, if one conceptualizes content as knowledge, than the objective is stated in the form “Students will know...”; if content is conceptualized as skill, than the objective is stated in the form “Students will be able to.”, if content is conceptualized as awareness, than the objective is formulated like “Students will be aware of ...” Objectives may also be stated in terms of what students will do in the course. Thus, Saphier and Gower list five kinds of objectives, three of which (coverage, activity and involvement objectives) concern what students will do, the other two (mastery and critical thinking) what they will have mastered [7].
How these general ideas can be applied to our specific course will be viewed in the next two sections of the present paper.
In a broad sense, the goal of the course under consideration is to enable postgraduates to use English to communicate their research ideas and findings to other members of the international scientific community [8].
In an attempt to make this very broad goal more concrete, let’s specify what the ability to use English for communicating scientific achievements implies. It is expected to include awareness and knowledge of a set of specific rules, norms and stereotypes of discourse behavior in the sphere of scientific communication, on the one hand, and the ability to use these rules and conventions to produce and interpret texts of different research genres in the English language, on the other hand. This is what we call research discourse competence.
Addressing the language of science as research discourse implies that it is understood as a means of scientific communication and interpersonal interaction. It marks a transition from treating a scientific text as a strictly linguistic object isolated from the participants and conditions of communication to its considering from communicative point of view.
It is known that a course designer’s choice in favour of the type of an approach to course and syllabus design implicitly reveals his/her views on the nature of language and learning. Our choice of discourse-based approach implies that discourse rules constitute the most important element of scientific communicative competence.
From the goal to the objectives of the course
To develop a central goal into a course meant defining what was to be taught, clarifying what was to be learnt, and then translating all of it into different types of objectives. To do it more effectively I had to think of the way to categorize and organize them into a system.
The first division of objectives is stipulated by the fact the goal of the course encompasses three areas - those of language, context and strategies. Language implies the language of research discourse, context - the context of cross-cultural scientific communication, strategies - the strategies of a scientist at each stage of his research activity underlying scientific discourse strategies.
These areas can be further elaborated in terms of teaching objectives and learning objectives which seems quite natural being determined by the necessity to differentiate between the roles of a teacher and a learner in the classroom.
The learning objectives can be further detailed in terms of developing postgraduates’ awareness, knowledge and skills.
This gave me nine categories into which to place the course objectives. The approach proposed is presented below in the form of a matrix. Filling in the empty boxes will give a complete description of the objectives of the course “English for Research Purposes”:
Teaching objectives
The goal language context strategies
Learning objectives
awareness
knowledge
skills
Table 1
Matrix of objectives for the “English for Research Purposes” course
Teaching objectives
Language Context Strategies
Goal To raise the performance level of post-graduates as to enable them to function successfully in cross-cultural scientific interaction. To organize classroom activities in the context typical of scientific communication by modeling its subject and language content, forms and settings. To promote development of research strategies of a scientist underlying the corresponding discourse strategies.
Learning objectives
A wareness By the end of this course post-graduates should be aware that: By the end of this course post-graduates should be aware that: By the end of this course post-graduates should be aware that:
1. Constitutive features of research discourse are determined by its purpose, typical participants and settings. 2. Research discourse is distinguished from other transitional forms of scientific discourse such as research and educational discourse, popular scientific discourse, advertising scientific discourse, etc. 3. There is a wide variety of research genres, both written and oral, primary and secondary ones. 4. Research genres differ in communicative purposes, therefore they display different discourse structures. 5. Research discourse is characterized by general and specific rhetorical functions and techniques. 6. Written research discourse has a number of specific types of paragraphs aimed to reach a certain objective. 1. Scientific communication is realized in a particular social, cultural and situational context. 2. Situational context of scientific interaction is determined by the parameters corresponding to the questions: who? whom? why? what for? what? how? when? where? and include an author, audience, motive and communicative purpose, topic, channel, setting. 3. Typical situations of crosscultural scientific communication are laboratory experiment, scientific consultation, seminar, oral presentations at conferences or symposia, studying special scientific literature, use of reference sources, writing scientific papers and reports, discussions, joint research projects, correspondence, grant request. 1. Research activity has a number of specific features that make it different to other types of activity. 2. Research activity is based on a number of methodological principles. 3. Research activity can be divided into certain steps which are movements from initial ignorance to final competence. 4. Instead of being linear, research steps make up a cycle. 5. The following cyclical steps of research are often used by scientists: a) setting a research area; b) identifying a research puzzle; c) moving a hypothesis; d) clarifying research objectives; e) developing research methods; f) generating research data; g) describing research data;
7. Scientific communication is based on intertextuality which is actualized through language means. 8. There exist general scientific and terminology vocabularies. 9. Research discourse is characterized by certain grammar conventions. 4. Research genres are bearers of knowledge about the culture of scientific discourse community which implies a set of conventions, norms, stereotypes, values and ideology shared and used by the members of this community as signs of belonging to this particular social group. h) processing research data; i) interpreting research data; j) drawing conclusions, proving a hypothesis and resolving research puzzle.
Knowledge By the end of this course post-graduates should know how: 1. To direct their scientific reading to a purpose. 2. To process a writing assignment from prewriting through drafting, revising, and editing. 3. To build generic move structures of different research genres. 4. To apply cohesion and coherence techniques. 5. To write adequate paragraphs of different types: expository, evaluative, descriptive, argumentative, manipulative. 6. To produce and interpret specific rhetorical functions (definition, description, generalization, classification, argumentation, instructions, visual-verbal relations). 7. To use rhetorical techniques (time and space order, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, analogy, illustration). 8. To use grammar structures correctly. 9. To use scientific discourse formulas and means of actualization of intertextuality. By the end of this course post-graduates should know how: 1. To realize their communicative intention in the situations mentioned above through identifying information required to achieve the intention, planning communicative event and fulfilling the plan either in the form of reception or production, through the channel (oral or written) adequately corresponding to the intention and situation. 2. To analyze the communicative situation and to choose adequate speech acts suitable and appropriate for achieving the speaker’s intention. 3. To use a foreign language for the purpose of searching for information, accumulating and extending knowledge in their research areas. By the end of this course post-graduates should know how: 1. To determine contradiction in premised knowledge. 2. To formulate a cognitive question which follows from some problem situation. 3. To find some logical preliminary hypothetical answer to a cognitive question. 4. To substantiate logical answer to a cognitive question with the help of adequate methods. 5. To draw a conclusion supporting the correctness of a logical answer. 6. To manifest the regularities of research activity in research discourse.
By the end of this course post-graduates should be able to:
1. Process scientific literature using appropriate reading strategies (scanning, skimming, reading for detailed comprehension).
2. Read critically evaluating the content by correlating it with
their personal knowledge, point of view and scientific experience.
3. Collect, record and organize information needed for making a written assignment.
4. Write scientific papers of different research genres (annotations, abstracts, research articles, survey articles, grant proposals, experimental reports, reviewer’s reports, reprint requests) through drafting, revising and editing.
5. Produce a coherent piece of writing strictly following the conventions of genre and rhetoric structuring.
6. Write using appropriate grammar structures, general scientific and terminology vocabulary, and rhetorical techniques.
7. Deliver a fifteen-minute oral presentation with visuals.
8. Express both facts and opinions in the subject area.
9. Participate in scientific debates presenting sound arguments.
By the end of this course post-graduates should be able to:
1. Inform about the object, subject, objectives of the research, the procedures of the experiment and its results.
2. Express their opinion, compare and contrast views of different authors.
3. Prove their point of view, substantiate the case, convince of the correctness.
4. Refute the opinion of an opponent, criticize his/ her ideas.
4. Discuss a problem, find out the truth.
5. Inquire about necessary information.
6. Evaluate previous scientific achievements.
7. Specify information, ask to repeat a question.
8. Initiate discussion.
9. Listen to scientific information and understand it correctly.
10. Use concepts within respective scientific discipline.
11. Make a survey of the existing research works.
12. Find required data in reference books.
13. Write abstracts, annotations, articles, reports on the subject of their research.
By the end of this course post-graduates should be able to:
1. To define the object of research.
2. To analyze problem situation and state a problem.
3. To specify the subject of research.
4. To formulate a purpose and clarify objectives of research.
5. To move a hypothesis.
6. To design a plan of research.
7. To ground the choice of adequate methods and materials of research.
8. To describe the results of observations and experiments.
9. To comment on and discuss the results of investigation.
10. To define the area of practical application for the solution found.
Conclusion
To sum it up, it should be emphasized that formulating goals of the “English for Research Purposes” course as well as specifying, categorizing and organizing its concrete objectives are aimed at: first, concentrating attention to the essential features of research discourse which are taken as guiding lines in determining the content of teaching; second, providing clear understanding between teachers and learners in the classroom; third, gaining some insight into assessment and evaluation in the educational process at the level of post-graduate foreign language education.
References
1 Richards, L. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching / L. Richards, Th. Rodgers. - Cambridge: CUP, 1995. - 171 p.
2 Nikulshina, N.L. English Language Course for ‘Hard Science’ Researchers: Design and Application / N.L. Nikulshina, R.P. Millrood // TSTU Transactions. - V. 9. -№ 3. - Tambov: TSTU, 2003. - Pp. 552 - 566.
3 Brown, J.D. The Elements of Language Curriculum: A Systematic Approach to Program Development / J.D. Brown - Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1995. - 262 p.
4 Teachers as Course Developers / Ed. by Graves K. - Cambridge: CUP, 1996. -213 p.
5 Dubin, F., Olshtain E. Course Design: Developing Programs and Materials for Language Learning / F. Dubin, E.Olshtain. - Cambridge: CUP, 1986. - 194 p.
6 Nunan, D. Syllabus design / D. Nunan. - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
7 Saphier, J. The skillful Teacher / J. Saphier, R. Gower. - Carlisle, Mass.: Research for Better Teaching, 1987.
8 Millrood, R. Introduction to Linguistics: Anti-fossilization Course for Teachers / R. Millrood. -Тамбов: Изд-во ТГУ имени Г.Р. Державина, 2002. - 146 с.
Постановка целей и задач в проектировании курса “Английский язык для научно-исследовательских целей”
Н.Л. Никульшина
Кафедра иностранных языков, ТГТУ
Ключевые слова и фразы: дискурсивная компетенция; осведомленность, знания и умения; последипломное иноязычное образование; проектирование курса; трехмерный подход, ориентированный на язык, контекст и стратегии.
Аннотация: Рассматривается один из базовых компонентов проектирования курса «Английский язык для научно-исследовательских целей», а именно, постановка целей и задач курса. Для описания цели курса вводится понятие иноязычной научной дискурсивной компетенции. Ее структура и содержание уточняются и детализируются с точки зрения осведомленности, знаний и умений дискурсивного поведения в рамках международного научного сообщества. Для описания задач курса предлагается трехмерный подход.
Stellung der Ziele und der Aufgaben in der Projektierung des Kurses «englische Sprache ftir die Forschungsziele»
Zusammenfassung: Es wird eine der Stutzpunktkomponenten der Projektierung des Kurses „englische Sprache fur die Forschungsziele“, und zwar, die Stellung der
Ziele und der Aufgaben des Kurses betrachtet. Fur die Beschreibung des Kurseziels wird der Begriff der fremdsprachigen wissenschaftlichen diskursiven Kompetenz eingefuhrt. Ihre Struktur und der Inhalt werden vom Gesichtspunkt der Informiertheit, des Wissens und der Fahigkeiten des diskursiven Verhaltens im Rahmen der internationalen wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft prazisiert und detailliert. Fur die Beschreibung der Aufgaben des Kurses wird das dreidimensionale Herangehen vorgeschlagen.
Determination des buts et des taches dans la conception du cours «Langue anglaise dans les buts de recherches scientifiques»
Resume: Est examinee une des composantes de base de la conception du cours «Langue anglaise dans les buts de recherches scientifiques», c’est a dire la determination des buts et des taches du cours. Pour la description du but du cours est introduite la notion de la competence discurcive scientifique dans la langue etrangere. Sa structure et son contenu sont precises et determines du point de vue de l’information, des connaissances et des possibilites du comportement discurcif dans le cadre de la communaute scientifique internationale. Une approche contenant trois gradins est proposee pour la description des taches du cours.
