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21 Feb 2007 10:29:18
A University Professor has won a research grant from the British Council to analyse the nature of academic reading to help international and minority students.
Professor Cyril Weir has been awarded £13,000 to examine how students from overseas, or minority students who have English as their second language, process information when they read English for academic purposes.
Professor Weir is Director of the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) at the University of Bedfordshire. It offers scholars, examining boards and government organisations a centre of excellence in Britain that can provide and assist in quality research and development in English language learning, as well as making a big difference to students by helping them improve their language skills.
He explained: “One of the biggest problems students who have English as a second language face, is processing the vast amount of academic text they are exposed to.
“They can waste hours going through articles and book chapters that are not relevant to the assignment they have been set. What they really need are quick reading skills that enable them to select and process relevant text quickly and efficiently.”
Professor Weir will establish how students process information and where they need help, to produce an online study guide to assist in areas of academic reading that need improving.
He is one of the world’s leading authorities on assessing English language skills and strategies. He has a PhD in language testing, has published widely in the field of language testing and has taught short courses and carried out consultancies in language testing, evaluation and curriculum renewal in over fifty countries worldwide.
He is also part of the English Profile Project a collaborative research initiative between the University of Bedfordshire, Cambridge University, English UK and the British Council, to produce detailed specifications for levels of achievement in English, in line with the Common European Framework. The ground-breaking research programme will be a fundamental tool for language teaching, material development, assessment and research for many years to come.
To find out more about the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment visit www.beds.ac.uk/crella or call 01582 489068.
Latest news» 2007» Feb» English language award to help international and minority students
