ABSTRACT

English medium education at university level is widely used in different contexts and it poses a challenge for students who are not used to studying through the medium of English. This study was carried out in a university in the Basque Country in Spain and it focuses on a course where students who are mostly Basque–Spanish bilinguals are taught through the medium of English. The course teacher applies a flexible language policy allowing for the use of three languages in the class. The aim of this study is to analyse the languages used by the teacher and the students and the students’ reactions towards the use of three languages. The instruments used were a background questionnaire, classroom observations, focus group discussions and students’ journals. The results indicate that there are important differences between the language used by the teacher and the students and also that most students responded positively to the flexible language use.

摘要

大学阶段的英语教育广泛应用于不同的环境，这对不习惯通过英语学习的学生提出了挑战。这项研究是在西班牙巴斯克地区的一所大学进行的，重点是通过英语授课的课程，该课程主要是巴斯克-西班牙语双语学生。课程老师采用灵活的语言政策，允许在课堂上使用三种语言。本研究的目的是分析教师和学生使用的语言以及学生对使用三种语言的反应。使用的工具是背景调查问卷、课堂观察、焦点小组讨论和学生日记。