University Instructors’ Views on Using Curriculum Materials in English

Abstract

Due to the small size of the textbook market, Icelandic universities have traditionally relied on course materials written in English. Both instructors and students take it for granted that the majority of the university course material will be in English. The study reported here examines how Icelandic university instructors cope with a linguistic situation when the language of instruction is Icelandic and tests and assignments are for the most part in Icelandic, while written input is mainly in English. This is a mixed method study. Data was collected through an electronic survey that was sent to all instructors at the University of Iceland. The survey was followed by interviews with ten instructors, two from each of the five schools at the University. The research questions related to their views on the use of English course material and the possible effect it had on their instructional practice. The findings indicate that instructors take the situation for granted and initially maintain that it causes little or no problems to use English materials. However, once probed, many of them profess to use a variety of scaffolding devices to support their students learning. This support is, however, not systematic and depends on individual teachers rather than department- or university policy.