Estudios preclínicos y de biocompatibilidad

In investigating the questions related to this research, other questions emerged that should be the focus of further research in the area of language development. These include more research into the role of exposure and focus on output at higher levels of proficiency in relation to IELTS score changes, how exposure to language in countries with increasing globalization of English-language media and expatriate labor affects proficiency, and what effect perceptual differences in teaching and learning may have on how language ability is viewed.

6.4.1 Exposure and Focus on Form in Language Development

This study‟s results show that students did make improvement in their language proficiency, based on the results of the IELTS exam, from when they entered and when they exited the university. Based on SLA theories, we know that there is interplay between input, output, interaction, and noticing when it comes to learning a language. Participant responses seem to be indicative of the idea that mere exposure will lead to language learning, but the university expectations for

improvement in English are not being met through incidental learning. Results from surveys and interviews reveal that there is little focus on language development once students reach their major area of study, and yet the participants in my study all made statistically significant improvement in their language skills as measured by an IELTS exam from the time they entered university until they graduated. They are receiving comprehensible input which is modified to meet their level. The material presented seems to be challenging enough to continue some language improvement, but it is not enough improvement to meet the institution‟s expectations for graduating students. What seems to be missing from the necessary requirements of language learning beyond a certain level are the noticing and the focus on form that would push them beyond where they currently are and increase their accuracy, especially if the IELTS exam is being used as a the measuring instrument for improvement. When looking at the IELTS bands for the productive skills of writing and speaking, it is seen that

around the 5 to 6 band level, accuracy of grammar and punctuation plays an important role in increasing band scores. At the lower band score levels improvement is more of an issue of fluency and not accuracy in usage. Once students reach the Band 6 level, accuracy becomes increasingly more important. Thus because the university admits low level learners to begin with, we can see improvement, but they are unable to increase proficiency much beyond this level as they are not being asked to produce with accuracy, nor is attention being called to their mistakes.

Table 27: IELTS Writing and Speaking Public Band Descriptors for Grammar

Band Writing Speaking

5  uses only a limited range of structures

 attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences  may make frequent

grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty  errors can cause some

difficulty for the reader

 produces basic sentence forms with reasonable accuracy

 uses a limited range of more complex structures, but these usually contain errors and may cause some

comprehension problems

6  uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms  makes some errors in grammar

and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication

 uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility  may make frequent mistakes with

complex, structures, though these rarely cause comprehension problems 7  uses a variety of complex

structures

 produces frequent error-free sentences

 has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors

 uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility

 frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist

Information from IELTS, 2009c. IELTS scores explained [DVD].

Table 27 shows the grammar descriptors for the bands 5, 6, and 7 on the IELTS writing and speaking subtests. Looking at the information in the public rubrics for the IELTS writing and speaking components in relation to grammar, an increasing level of accuracy can be seen as one moves from band 5 to band 7. A band 5 for writing reflects “frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty,” while the speaking descriptors note that “uses a limited range of more complex structures,

but these usually contain errors.” In order to achieve a band 6, errors need to “rarely reduce communication.” Previous research related to score gain has focused around the score range related to entry into academic programs which tend to fall at the 7.0 range and below (Elder & O‟Loughlin, 2003; A. Green, 2005; T. Green, 2004; Humphreys & Mousavi, 2010). More research is needed on what it takes for improvement in scores to occur at the upper end of the IELTS band score range.

6.4.2 General Exposure and Effect on Language Ability

This research showed that participants in this study had a statistically

significant increase in their IELTS scores from the time they started university to four years later, but it does not tell us much about why the scores increased. Further research is needed to answer the question of whether the same language score increase would occur over the course of four years for Emiratis who are not enrolled in the university, just because of the everyday exposure to the English language in the Emirates. With globalization there is an ever increasing amount of information

pouring into the country from the internet, newspapers, television, movies, signage, etc. Is the language development seen in the course of four years of EMI

undergraduate study due to studying in English or is it due to the naturally occurring exposure to the language outside of the classroom? Most of my student participants said that they used Arabic with friends and family and that the television shows that they watched were in Arabic. But, there is an acknowledgement that Arabic and English sometimes get mixed together and increasingly they do not know the technical words from their area of study in Arabic. Further study could include investigating what happens in general over time to the language ability of the local population including groups who may have finished studies or never enrolled in higher education. This would be especially relevant in contexts where English has become a lingua franca for communication between large numbers of expatriate workers, such as in the Gulf States.

6.4.3 Perceptual Differences in Relation to Culture and Expectations of Learning The context of education in the Gulf region often involves students from one culture with teachers from a different one. This provides a multitude of different expectations of teaching and learning that interact with each other which may promote or hinder learning. Perceptual differences between students and teachers regarding their language ability are an area worth exploring in future research. It could provide

an opportunity for learning more about the culture and expectations of this institution, and possibly institutions in general, along with improving practices that would

promote learning.