Parana speaks English: EMI experience at the State Universities

Across the country’s universities, internationalization is visible in the provision of programs and courses taught in English, virtual learning, and initiatives to support inbound and outbound student flows. However, while global engagement is increasing in many directions, little is known about the trends, challenges, and opportunities for internationalization that define Brazil’s higher education sector. (Chelsea Robles, Ph.D, Rajika Bhandari, Ph.D, 2017). One of the main challenges relates to lecturers’ attitudes towards teaching their specialist subjects through the medium of English, given that many are first and foremost subject experts and even possessing good English language skills, may not feel comfortable delivering classes in the medium of English. This presentation, then, focus on delivering the preliminary results of a research project between a Parana State University and Cambridge Assessment, supported by the British Council, taking the form of a case study of lecturers in 7 state universities in Paraná who seek to explore these attitudes and compare alignment with that of policy makers, as well as investigate how prepared lecturers consider themselves to be to deliver courses through the medium of instruction and will ascertain what support they need in order to teach more confidently and competently in English. It is hoped that the findings will have wider application, with the research instruments being used in a wider scale study to better understand the concerns of EMI lecturers and how they may be addressed.