1. INTRODUCTION
The introduction of the "competence-based approach"
(Boutin, 2004: 29) in European higher education has resulted in the
reassessment of higher technical education teaching methodology,
including foreign language teaching. The present paper focuses on one of
the methodological principles of the competence-based approach, namely,
defining training stage objectives for foreign language teaching in
higher technical education, and aims to refine those set forth by the
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment (CEFR, 2001).
The principles described in various methodological guides (e.g.
OIF, 2009, CNCIS, 2010) have a general character and are applicable to
academic training programs (e.g. bachelor's degree). However, we
note that the CEFR observations with respect to professional domains (in
our case, the technical domain) are insufficient and thus
unsatisfactory. This can be accounted for by the fact that the purpose
of CEFR is to provide a general common framework for foreign language
teaching.
Amongst the above-mentioned principles, our paper places special
emphasis on defining those specific objectives of the foreign language
training stages in higher technical education. The use of another
principle of the competence-based approach namely, the description of
the competences necessary for future engineers at completion of
bachelor's degree programs according to the training stages
identified for foreign language teaching in technical universities (Pop,
Tanase, 2009, 2010), will be the aim of further research. The paper
extends our previous research centred on the establishment of specific
criteria for foreign language curricular design customized for the
engineering field (Pop & Tanase-Robescu, 2009) and on the
identification of training stages for foreign language teaching in
technical universities. As further research, we intend to describe the
competence-based curricular design for foreign language teaching in the
technical field and to define the minimal performance standard for
engineering students.
2. THE COMPETENCE-BASED APPROACH TO FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN
HIGHER TECHNICAL EDUCATION
2.1 The competence--based approach: a new paradigm in higher
education
The competence-based approach has induced major changes in the
educational and training system. In our opinion, this approach has led
to important changes at pedagogical and methodological levels as well as
in pedagogical reform.
At the pedagogical level, this approach has generated a paradigm
change in that teaching is no longer centred on relaying of knowledge
and on teachers / trainers, but on action and on learners (cf. OIF
Methodology, 2009: 4).
At the methodological level, the specific objectives of a training
program are now defined in terms of competences to be acquired by future
graduates. Identification and description of competences result from of
a detailed analysis of both national (i.e. the country where the
training takes place) and European labour markets to insure coherence in
training programs at a European level. These competences are described
by authorized institutions in methodological guides, which serve as
reference tools in the elaboration of competence referential. Three
types of competences are targeted (cf. OIF Methodology, 2009: 5):
general, specific and transversal competences.
Concerning reform, this newly formulated approach has a guiding
role for training programs in all European countries in their joint
effort towards the creation of a European Qualifications Framework. The
pedagogical reform movement generated by the competence-based approach
started in the U.S.A. at the end of the 60's and expanded later on
to Australia and Europe. The U.K., Switzerland and Belgium are among the
first countries that adopted the pedagogical principles of the approach
(cf. Boutin, 2009: 29).
2.2 The action-oriented approach in foreign language teaching
As stated in the introduction, some of the principles underlying
the competence-based approach are also found in CEFR (2001). CEFR
describes the approach (named "the action-oriented approach"),
the common reference levels, the user's competences, the tasks and
their role in language teaching, the curriculum and the assessment
method. In specialised literature, this approach is studied in close
relation with the communicational approach (cf. Puren, 2009). Language
users are viewed in their interaction both with others and with the
environment as social actors capable of permorming specific tasks
according to the communicational setting (e.g. educational, familial and
professional). The term "competence" is defined with reference
to the basic principles of the approach (CEFR, idem): "competences
are the sum of knowledge, skills and characteristics that allow a person
to perform actions" and are grouped into two large categories:
general competences and communicative language competences. The former
comprise declarative knowledge ("savoir"), skills and know-how
("savoir-faire"), and existential competence
("savoir-etre"), while the latter, linguistic, sociolinguistic
and pragmatic competences.
As mentioned above, the CEFR guidelines regarding the professional
domain in general, and the technical domain in particular, are rather
succinct, as this methodological tool was designed to cover a much wider
range of uses. Therefore, the next section is an attempt to put forth a
new paradigm of foreign language teaching. This paradigm is grounded in
the competence-based approach principles and is tailored for the
technical domain.
3. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING STAGES IN
HIGHER TECHNICAL EDUCATION
One of the principles of the competence-based approach is the
formulation of the specific training objectives in terms of results:
knowledge, abilities, attitudes, values and/or competences that have to
be acquired by students and put into practice after the academic
training period (CNCIS Methodology, 2008: 11). In our view, the foreign
language teaching process for non-philological fields of study
(including technical) should be structured according to a training
program with variable length. The study of foreign languages in
technical universities usually lasts for two years (i.e. four semesters)
within bachelor's degree programs. The close observation of the
current foreign language teaching practice in Romanian technical
universities (cf. Pop & Tanase-Robescu 2009: 327-328) has led to the
identification of three stages in the linguistic training of engineering
students: general training, specialized training and socio-professional
training.
Consequently, each stage has a set of specific objectives and
certain types of competences (tab. 1). The table below shows the
specificity of the linguistic training program for future engineers at
the stage of specialized training in the technical domain. Functional
competence is pragmatic competence specific to foreign language learning
in the technical domain and is manifested through the acquisition of
different skills (e.g. expressing numbers and percentages, assessing
equipment reliability) and of generic competences (e.g. problem-solving
skills, team-work skills): "this component is concerned with the
use of spoken discourse and written texts in communication for
particular functional purposes" (CEFR, 2001: 125).
4. CONCLUSION
In light of the above, we can conclude that both the training
stages involved in teaching foreign languages at technical universities
and the training programs for other non-philological higher education
fields (e.g. economics, law, social and political sciences, agricultural
sciences, etc.) obviously share common objectives. However, it is
essential to note that the former also display certain specific
objectives to be found in the specialized training stage, at initiation
level and at specialized level.
The use of the methodological principles specific to the
competence-based approach, in general, and defining language acquisition
objectives in terms of competences, in particular, allows the
identification of future engineers' linguistic profile.
The use of another principle of the competence-based approach would
permit the formulation and description of the types of competences
corresponding to each stage of training according to minimal performance
standards.
We consider that the paper is a valuable contribution to both
national and European efforts of foreign language curricular
harmonization in technical education. A more efficacious structuring of
the language training content implicitly leads to enhanced quality of
foreign language training in technical universities.
5. REFERENCES
Boutin, G. (2004). L'approche par competences en education: un
amalgame paradigmatique [The competence-based approach in education: a
paradigmatic blend]. Available from:
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2010-03-10
Pop, M., & Tanase-Robescu, D. (2009). Towards a New Curricular
Design for Foreign Language Teaching in Romanian Technical Universities.
Proceedings of Balkan Region Conference on Engineering and Business
Education & International Conference on Engineering and Business
Education, Sibiu, Romania, Oprean, C., Grunwald, N., Kifor, V. (Eds.),
pp. 326-329, ISBN 978-973-739-848-2, ISBN 1843-6730, Sibiu, Romania,
October 2009, Lucian Blaga University Press, Sibiu
Puren, C. (2009). Entre l'approche communicationnelle et la
perspective actionelle, quoi de neuf? [From the communicative approach
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Tanase-Robescu, D., Pop, M. (2010). Developing a common framework
for foreign language teaching in Romanian technical universities.
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*** (2008) Cadrul National al Calificarilor din Invatamdntul
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Tab. 1. Specific objectives of the foreign language training
stages in higher technical education
Training stages Objectives Competences
1. Stage of general Developing general General
linguistic training communication skills for competences
general purposes of Linguistic
language used in various competences
social interactions (writing and
speaking skills)
2. Stage of A) Initiation into Pragmatic
specialized training specialized competences
communication;
assimilation of the --Functional
a) Initiation vocabulary and structures competences
stage of specialized of general technical (reading--
communication discourse comprehension and
writing skills,
b) Stage of B) Development of including mediating
specialized technical vocabulary and competence)
communication specialized domain-
related communication in
close relation to domain
specificity
3. Stage of socio- Development of Sociolinguistic
professional techniques of written and competences
training oral communication (writing and
required by the speaking skills)
professional settings