Empowering the English Language Teaching (ELT) Professionals to Provide Support to Develop Academic Literacy in English Medium Degree Programmes (EMDPs)

Abstract

The challenge of supporting the ever-increasing demand for EMDPs can be addressed through the development of Academic Literacy (AL) among undergraduates (Jacobs, 2006; Mahawattha & Rassool, 2021; McKenna, 2014). One of the most effective ways of enhancing the learner's AL is to mainstream AL practices; that is, to incorporate AL-oriented pedagogical practices into the teaching of the main discipline, with ELT professionals taking up a collaborative role in the mainstream classroom (Jacobs, 2006). The present study examines the role of ELT professionals in developing the AL of undergraduates in the mainstream classroom. Data were collected through 40 lecturer interviews and 18 lecture observations in 3 state universities in Sri Lanka. Data were analyzed thematically through Qualitative Content Analysis. The findings indicate that ELT professionals concentrated on the discrete development of the four language skills and that there was no evidence of AL-oriented pedagogical practices based on the content of the disciplinary areas. Further, ELT professionals believed that there was little support to develop such practices due to certain structural arrangements of EMDPs such as the lack of time allocated for AL development and the lack of collaboration at the pre- during- and post- pedagogical levels. Moreover, there was a subtle power dynamic between the two groups of lecturers which hindered the implementation of AL practices in the mainstream classroom. This study concludes by recommending the ELT professional's active involvement in developing academic literacy-oriented pedagogical practices and emphasizing the need for empowering them in the mainstream classroom by addressing complex power-related issues.