A Needs Analysis on Effective Teaching in English in a Multicultural and Multilingual Learning Space

In preparation for the CLILMED Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project Luminar Foundation performed a needs analysis in the form of a survey. The survey was sent to participating institutions and we have received 390 valid responses.

The questionnaire was divided into three parts: 1) current roles and responsibilities of the responders, 2) the state of their current knowledge and experience in different educational strategies, and 3) a query about gaining which skills would improve the quality of their teaching.

Over 65% of responders are clinical or practical teachers and over 60% are lecturers at a Master level. Only 40% of the responders currently perform the role of curriculum planners or developers.

The responders were asked to rate their knowledge and exposure to various education strategies currently used in international higher education on the scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = not familiar, 2 = somewhat familiar, 3 = I know about it well, 4 = I am very familiar, and 5 = at an expert level. The results recorded are as follows (please click the page changer on the rights side of the picture to see the next education strategy):

When asked about their learning preferences, 68 % preferred to learn in a face-to-face environment, 16 % chose online, 21 % would like a combination of both (blended learning), and the remaining 10 % had no preference.

While learning preference was clearcut, the perception of skill deficiencies required to improve one’s teaching were less clear. The responders were asked to choose up to two skill and competencies areas they would like to strengthen to improve their expertise. The results indicate that the greatest interest and need (44.13 %) is in intercultural and international competencies area. In second place (26.37%) are broadly defined pedagogy and andragogy skills. Responders indicated that improving their English skills (16.19 %) and classroom management skills (13.32 %) would also improve their teaching capabilities.