The perceptions of university students, language instructors and content professors on academic speaking needs of students at EMI universities in Turkey

Abstract

This study investigated the perceptions of the main stakeholders on the academic speaking needs of students who study at 25 EMI universities in various departments in Turkey. In this regard, it explored to what extent the current approach applied to teach speaking in English in these universities meet the needs of students studying at various departments. To this end, 101 university students, 62 English language instructors, and 31content professors of varying disciplines filled in a questionnaire to take part in the study. The quantitative data were derived through the questionnaires and further data were collected via semi-structured interviews with volunteered participants consisting of eight students, 12 language instructors and three content professors. The results of the study reveal that there is a mismatch between the current approach applied at universities to teach students academic speaking skills and the academic speaking skills that students need in their departments. Some discrepancies among stakeholders were also identified.