A Needs Analysis of English for Mathematics in French Higher Education
Despite its highly specific nature, English for mathematics (EFM) remains an under-researched area in the field of English for specific purposes, and little is known about the specialized needs in English of university students in mathematics. The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of lang...
Gardado en:
| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/asp, |
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| Auteurs principaux: | , , , |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | eng |
| Publicado: |
ASp
2024
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| Sujets: | |
| Acceso en liña: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Résumé: | Despite its highly specific nature, English for mathematics (EFM) remains an under-researched area in the field of English for specific purposes, and little is known about the specialized needs in English of university students in mathematics. The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of language needs of students in mathematics at a French higher education institution and to evaluate testing procedures targeted at EFM key skills. A questionnaire survey exploring the perceived importance of various English skills elicited responses from sixty-one students. Semi-structured interviews on EFM were also conducted with six expert mathematicians. The findings showed that both English for General Purposes (EGP) and EFM were perceived as important, and that some skills were highly prized by respondents, notably listening in EGP, as well as reading research articles, carrying out demonstrations, presenting research results and writing research reports in EFM. These findings may have significant implications for course design and certification procedures in English for mathematics. |
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