Teaching reading and use of texts in the EU English class

In the next quotation, Kata’s ideas are cited to mention web resources she believes can facilitate her interest in connection with the subject:

I would like to know those websites where I can find information on the EU. I do not know sites, which are well-constructed and spot the information of my interest in the EU. I would very much like to read pages, which are easy to comprehend and summarise information in a straightforward manner. (Kata, S/5)

It was reported throughout the interviews that readings on cultural matters would be of interest to students. Culture-related short passages were already selected for the coursebook the students used. The next excerpt shows how Liza feels about the relationship of culture and the EU:

I read, for example, this short passage on Dolly, the cloned sheep, and that the main means of transportation in Amsterdam is the bicycle. I have not thought of reading anything cultural in connection with the EU. It was also pleasant to read about the clothing styles in the different Member States. These kind stories really boost my interest. (Liza, S/6)

Other areas of interest the students were eager to read about were mainly education and employment. In addition to these recurring topics, they generally mentioned those policies or subject areas of the EU, which were close to their subject specialism at the university.

Based on the teacher’s diary, the students’ preferences in terms of the selected readings of the course material can be confirmed. In addition to this, the diary included remarks on the students’ difficulties observed during the reading exercises. It can be said that the selected texts chosen from the Internet focusing either on diverse topics the EU is involved in or the variety of the genres of the EU documents, were too long and too difficult for the students. This was apparent on many occasions when the teacher double-checked the comprehension of the texts by asking a question in English or by asking the students to translate some of the expressions they read into Hungarian.

4.9.1.2 Perceived difficulties in reading EU texts

The students were asked about their difficulties in reading EU texts included in the coursebook. The selection of the texts contained short and longer extracts chosen from the Internet representing general readings, EU legislation and other documents. The legal documents as extracts of the samples of the selected readings represented various EU genres.

Table 15 summarises the general readings and the types of legal genres included in the book.

Table 15 Readings and genres

Topics of readings EU genres

EU institutions Treaties

History of the EU International agreements

Enlargement issues Secondary legislation (directive)

Higher education in Europe Case-law

Recognition of diplomas in the European Union Parliamentary questions Citizen mobility

Environment

Case studies on EU entrepreneurship Employment

Equal treatment with nationals Readings on Solvit, Ploteus, Eures Examples of small talk

Conversations to teach negotiation

E-government, digital signature, e-money, articles on digital libraries

Additional genres the teaching material incorporated were a speech by the President of the Commission; a press release, and an extract from the text of a Special Eurobarometer.

Diagram 6 shows the results of one item of the needs analysis questionnaire when the students were asked about their difficulties brought on EU texts. The students answered two types of questions. First, it was investigated how frequently they experienced the difficulties listed in the questionnaire.

Diagram 6 The most frequent difficulties in reading EU texts

The results show that one of the most frequent difficulties students face when reading the texts of the coursebook is insufficient knowledge about the various specialist fields of the EU (M=3.2). The other most frequently encountered difficulty is unknown EU abbreviations (M=3.2). The students often have major difficulties because they are not familiar with the Hungarian equivalent of the EU terminology (M=3.0). Unknown EU expressions in English (M=2.8) and unknown English words (M=2.7) cause difficulties rather frequently. An expression is not used in its original sense in the EU document (M=2.5) causes almost as many difficulties as phrases not deriving from English (M=2.4) and further, when there is no Hungarian equivalent of the EU terminology (M=2.4). The fewest difficulties as seen by the students, are caused by elements of texts such aspart of the EU document which is not in English (M=2), unknown grammatical structures (M=1.9) and compound sentences of multiple lines (M=1.9).

These results suggest that the students’ EU-specific subject knowledge needs to be

0 1 2 3 4 5

Unkown English words Unknown EU abbreviations Unknown EU expressions in English Expression not used in original sense in EU documents Part of the EU document is not in English Phrases not deriving from English Unknown EU terms Deficient knowledge about specialist field of the EU Unknown grammatical structures No knowledge of the Hungarian equivalent of the EU terminology There is no Hungarian equivalent of the EU terminology Compound sentences of multiple lines

2.7 3.2 2.8 2.5 2

2.4 2.8

3.2 1.9

3 2.4 1.9

DIFFICULTY

Frequency Total = 5

increased so that they can read the texts better, moreover, EU abbreviations and EU terms must be taught more explicitly and explained by the book if we consider the students’ views as guidelines in the planning of the content. The students’ views should be considered as far as the most difficult areas are concerned since these are all confirmed by the teacher-researchers and EU professionals as existing areas of difficulties. What is most striking here is that the students do not perceive compound sentences of multiple lines as difficulties. As will be shown later in this section, this is one of the most noticeable characteristics of EU texts and thus the experts identify it as an area of learner difficulty, which is to be honed in on when dealing with EU texts.

Another question inquired about the significance the students associated with the difficulties when reading EU texts. Diagram 7 shows the calculated averages of the answers based on these items.

Diagram 7 Difficulties in reading EU texts

These results show that the students see the difficulty of unknown EU expressions in

0 1 2 3 4 5

Unkown English words Unknown EU abbreviations Unknown EU expressions in English English expression is not used in its original sense in the EU…

Part of the EU document is not in English Phrases not deriving from English Unknown EU terms Deficient knowledge about specialist field of EU Unknown grammatical structures Not know the Hungarian equivalent of EU terminology No Hungarian equivalent of the EU terminology Compound sentences of multiple lines

2.6 3.1

3.3 3 2.6 2.4

3.2 3.2 2.4

2.9 2.3 1.8

DIFFICULTIES

Significance Total = 5

English as the greatest problem (M=3.3). It is followed by unknown EU terms and deficient knowledge about the particular specialist fields about the EU (M=3.2). Unknown EU abbreviations exhibit a relatively high value as difficulties (M=3.1). Similarly, high significance is assigned to the difficulty of the texts not using English expressions in their original sense (M=3.0). The significance of the lack of knowledge in EU terminology is high (M=2.9). The least significant difficulty for the students is again compound sentences of multiple lines.

Difficulties in reading EU texts were reinforced by all the teacher-researcher interviews.

In one of these interviews, Lea explains that her teaching experience confirms learner difficulty at tertiary level due to the unfamiliarity of the subject areas relating to the EU. In the next excerpt, Lea’s subjective opinion is illustrated regarding learners’ considerable difficulties in reading and understanding such texts:

In my opinion, teaching the reading comprehension of EU texts is absolutely relevant.

We can hear it a lot that this Eurojargon is difficult to understand. As part of my research, I asked EU professionals on their difficulties of reading EU texts. They said that they had been working with these texts for many years so to them they were not difficult anymore. However, if you ask university students to read them or someone who has not seen EU texts before, they will have substantial difficulties in the comprehension. (Lea, TR/2)

This excerpt referring to the use of EU texts in the target situation underlines the relevance of stressing the teaching of EU texts. Lea explained that based on her research in the field of the use of EU documents by EU professionals, it was found that the most decisive purpose of using EU texts in the professional context was scanning them for specific information. Consequently, if one of the objectives of the ESP class is to prepare the learners for the target situation needs, it is of utmost importance to provide them with reading exercises, which facilitate the acquisition of reading the different types of EU texts. In the same vein, Hanna underlined the relevance of the use of EU documents in teaching:

Teaching reading is extremely important because the texts are very complex and they contain long sentences. It is crucial to be able to comprehend the texts because they do not only have to translate them, it is probably more important to understand them if someone works in the EU context. It can be significant for all types of professional areas. The smallest details can become essential to understand. (Hanna, TR/3)

Although the priority of teaching the comprehension of EU texts seems to have been confirmed by many participants’ perspectives, and the topics of the students’ interest were underlined, the types of documents which are worth teaching have not been yet discussed.

Based on previous corpus research in the EU context (Jablonkai, 2010), there are EU genres in the professional context which are more frequently used by EU professionals than other EU genres. Among the first five most frequently used EU genres, primarily legal documents are found. The following genres were mentioned by EU professionals as the first five most important ones: regulation, directive, decision, Commission working documents, and Commission proposals (Jablonkai, 2010). There are numerous other genres the professionals work with. It can be said that these genres mostly relate to their specific areas of work. It is therefore hard to base our recommendations on text selection for tertiary level students merely on the target situation use of these genres since we cannot be certain about the specific areas of the students’ future workplaces. Nevertheless, some conclusions can be drawn from responses mentioned earlier and the results relating to the importance of the course content. The most important topics reported were employment, the institutions of the EU, speech situations, and presentation and negotiation techniques. Therefore, it can be recommended that samples of legal texts be incorporated into the coursebook when it describes EU institutions. Additionally, the teaching material can focus on the most important legal genres in a separate unit, but it should be specifically tailored to the language proficiency of the students. It is not recommended that whole texts of EU documents are used, passages, selected extracts are more favourable. Szonja, who interprets for the EU, reports that even for those who are familiar with the specialism of particular EU areas, the reading of legal documents requires perseverance:

One of my difficulties while preparing to interpret for the European Parliament, is first of all, to understand the texts which are really dull sometimes. For example, I know that in the Parliament tomorrow three directives will be discussed, and each consists of at least 25 pages, and I should read all three, it really does not make me very happy. Often, I cannot focus on the main points in the text because they are so dense and formal. I understand though they are not comic strips but legal texts. They do not need to be humorous. (Szonja, EUPR/3)

This extract demonstrates not only the relevance of reading skills in the EU context, but it also reflects the respondent’s emotional standpoint of legal texts. The way she feels may indicate that the students who have to read such texts might react in a similar manner. According to the author, it is highly recommended that awareness of the EU genres should be raised in a heterogeneous EU English class, their names, their structure in general and one or two examples should be given. It can be linked to the students’ areas of interest or it can be selected from the field of employment or education. However, it is not advised to select a great number of legal texts to read, only if the target audience requires a high degree of specificity in this regard should that action be pursued. Additionally, it is worth presenting a sample of an EU Treaty, as it is closely linked to the working mechanism of the EU and the students demonstrate aninterest in it. Apart from readings on legal texts, it is suggested that EU English learners be familiarised with general materials available on the EU official website, as documents of a special EU subject field are too specific, and their comprehension requires a great deal of specific technical background knowledge.