Publikationen

This chapter presents the findings of the European “LSP Teacher Training Summer School” project (TRAILs) which aims to develop an innovative LSP teacher training curriculum based on identified gaps between existing and required LSP teacher training. The paper introduces a methodological approach to collect relevant information on such programmes and provides an overview of existing training programmes in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). By synthesising the research activities carried out, the data presented relate to entry requirements, teaching and learning methods, use of information and communications technology (ICT), and credit points granted in the framework of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The results of the survey have shown that in some countries higher education institutions do not offer any LSP teacher training programmes and, where such programmes are provided, their number varies considerably. The programmes differ in terms of teaching format as well as the teaching and learning methods used. On the other hand, it seems that ICT tools are commonly used by both LSP teacher trainers and students.

This book is the result of research carried out in partnership with seven European universities as part of an Erasmus+ project on training teachers of Language for Specifi c Purpose (LSP) in higher education. All university partners, i.e. Bordeaux (France), Zagreb (Croatia), Jade (Germany), Cádiz (Spain), Adam Mickiewicz (Poland), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Arcola Research (UK), and Bergamo (Italy) carried out surveys and developed a detailed report showing that in Europe there is very little training for this type of teaching, and that teachers generally need to be trained in the specifi cities of the language fi eld they are going to teach. Medical or maritime English, legal Spanish, French for tourism, etc. require both an expert domain knowledge and a grounding in language teaching. Several testimonies highlight this situation and show the lack of career development prospects for LSP teachers at European universities. The members of the Erasmus+ TRAILs project have therefore been interested in the specifi c needs of LSP teachers and have been able to update the information through several types of surveys. The competences of LSP teachers were thus identifi ed. Based on this precise inventory, they are proposing to draw up a complete training programme. A pedagogical approach has been developed: resources, lesson preparation, course design, innovative pedagogical approaches are presented. The research presented in this book goes well beyond the TRAILs project and questions the training of specialised language teachers. More generally, it highlights the need to provide effective training and professional development for LSP teachers and offers a contribution to overcoming the shortcomings of LSP teacher education.

The paper studies verbal maritime communication by categorising spontaneous professional discourse observed in co-operative full-mission simulation exercises into the illocutionary points of commissives and directives according to Searle's original classification. The research adopts a Corpus Pragmatics approach by combining vertical Corpus Linguistics methods with horizontal Pragmatics analyses. Between-group analyses of speech acts by native and non-native speakers of English are carried out and possible risks of miscommunication classified and compared. On the basis of the circular Osgood-Schramm communication model the sender–receiver interaction is investigated for either speaker group. Findings include both quantitative and qualitative between-group differences in locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary speech acts. These differences are evaluated as causal factors in effective communicative acts and as contributory factors for miscommunication in the maritime domain.

This paper compares ESP communication by non-native speakers of Maritime English with communication outside a nautical setting in order to profile its structural idiosyncrasy. Vocabulary growth, word frequencies, lexical and key word densities, and grammar diversity as dependent linguistic variables observed in transcribed full-mission simulation exercises are contrasted to the Brown Corpus, the Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English and the Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP). Using quantitative linguistics, inherent structural patterns of nautical team communication are identified and similarities and variations highlighted. Significant differences found in all linguistic features are gauged by means of the Probability of Superiority (PS) effect size. A linguistic profile is created which quantifies the observed language patterns and provides a quantitative model for the linguistic genre of this particular discourse community. The model fills the gap of quantitative research on empirical bridge team communication samples and delivers a valid tool for estimating the magnitude of observed linguistic effects.

According to Paltridge and Starfield [1, p2], ‘English for Specific Purposes (ESP) refers to the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language where the goal of the learners is to use English in a particular domain’. In the case of Maritime English, this domain can be broken down into a number of areas including Deck and Engineer officers and Ratings. When teaching ESP, it is necessary to design appropriate assessment tools to allow learners to demonstrate their level of knowledge. In the case of a proficiency test, which is designed to measure ‘a candidate’s readiness for a particular communicative role, e.g. in a work or educational setting’ [2, p135], a test is used to standardise judgements of performance and progress [3, pp367-368]. This paper will introduce the transnational MariLang project 1 , which is tasked with developing and validating a universal proficiency test of Maritime English, to be used to measure the English language ability of Deck Officers around the world. We will present the necessary steps involved in the validation project and will introduce task types to demonstrate how the design of the test has been based on a detailed analysis of the Target Language Use (TLU) [4, p18] or ‘real-life’ domain in order to reflect as closely as possible the language abilities necessary for a Deck Officer (support level) or Deck Officer (support and management level)at sea.

The paper focuses on the maritime project entitled “VTS-Bot” which aims to exploit the innovative use of computer dialogue systems (aka ChatBots) to assist future Officers of the Watch (OOW) in acquiring maritime communication skills based on the IMO (International Maritime Organization) SMCP (Standard Marine Communication Phrases). As part of their training, deck and engineering cadets in the Merchant Marine are required to obtain a mandatory range of communication competencies in line with the IMO STCW code (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, chapter II, table A-II/1). The VTS-Bot developed within the project is freely available online and allows students to practise the relevant maritime communication at their own individual learning pace, thus establishing a student-centred educative approach. The exercises contained in the ChatBot target the compulsory Part A of the IMO SMCP used in VHF communication, and provide authentic maritime scenarios wherein the cadet conducts in real time a simulated maritime conversation with the ChatBot.

The paper compares the pedagogical advantages of two simulation types used for training verbal maritime communication. It tests the hypothesis that “low-fi” simulation using online web conference software, specifically ‘chat’ or messaging, is a valid complementary tool for the instruction of Maritime English and full-mission simulation. Based on a series of exercises involving multi-national and multi-lingual students, various linguistic patterns are determined and compared to audio recordings of full-mission simulation. Probability of superiority effect sizes is computed to quantify the observed effects. The findings corroborate the proximity of language patterns found in low-fi and full-mission simulation. Pedagogical implications are discussed, and future research possibilities are outlined.

The workshop focuses on training SMCP-based maritime communication with the help of computer dialogue systems (aka ChatBots). The communication competencies put forth in the STCW code (chapter II, table A-II/1) are acquired by practising relevant maritime communication at the student's own individual learning pace thus catering for a student-centred education approach. On the one hand, the exercises presented in the workshop will target the compulsory part A of the SMCP in their use in communication on VHF. On the other hand, a simulated phone call challenges participants to develop an efficient communication strategy in order to obtain relevant details on a navigational accident. Response from conference participants will be used to further improve the developed exercises. In addition participants will be trained to use the ChatBot technology and exercises as teaching material in the classroom once the computer dialogues are freely available on the Internet.