An initial assessment of the academic and professional profile of modern foreign languages’ teachers in UK higher education

The aim of this activity report is to provide an initial appraisal of the current makeup of the professional group of modern foreign language teachers in UK Higher Education. The report is in two parts: a literature review that identifies the main defining qualities of modern foreign languages teach...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Coderch, Marion
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Repositorio:e-spacio. Repositorio Institucional de la UNED
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:e-spacio.uned.es:20.500.14468/23229
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/23229
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:professional profile
qualifications of university language teachers
research of university language teachers
scholarship of university language teachers
status of university language teachers
university language teachers
Descripción
Sumario:The aim of this activity report is to provide an initial appraisal of the current makeup of the professional group of modern foreign language teachers in UK Higher Education. The report is in two parts: a literature review that identifies the main defining qualities of modern foreign languages teachers, and an evaluation of the professional and academic profiles of language teachers in UK higher education, as displayed in the institutional websites of the universities where they work. The analysis of the data collected corroborates the characteristics identified in the literature: the low status of teaching staff, the often unconventional entry paths into the profession, the prevalence of the “native speaker” construct as a desirable feature in candidates who aspire to teach the language, the disparity in qualifications of language teachers, and their low engagement in research activities. Future prospects involve the verification (or amendment, where necessary) of the data collected with accounts from individuals who work as language teachers.