Is it retrograde and regressive? Revisiting, reviewing and revising our understanding of threshold concepts in short EAP programmes

Tan, Karen (2023) Is it retrograde and regressive? Revisiting, reviewing and revising our understanding of threshold concepts in short EAP programmes. Norwegian Forum for English for Academic Purposes : Time and EAP, Oslo Metropolitan University, Osla, Norway. 14 - 16 Jun 2023.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)

Abstract

Helping students understand and master key principles in any module is the underlying premise and goal of taught programmes in universities. Thus the primary purpose, if not the ideals, of any EAP programme is the seamless transition of students into their institution’s educational context where students are confident agents in their own educational learning. For EAP educators facilitating this transition has been and is perceived as the primary aim by many universities. In practice, this transition is often not seamless with hard-pressed educators frantically adjusting to the many demands of the admitting institution, EAP programme and learner requirements. Given time, EAP pedagogy in practice can account for these challenges. But with time at a premium, EAP educators are left ‘scrambling’ for solutions and sometimes engaged in scattershot approaches and methods. All this done in a genuine desire, however misguided the attempt(s), to continue, if not maintain quality in their own teaching practices.

By interrogating the idea of the widely used ‘Threshold Concepts’ in which assumptions of what is considered core knowledge and therefore must be mastered before any meaningful student progression, this paper flips this notion and proposes that transfer of learning takes place backwards: instead of students achieving learning outcomes, teaching starts from the final objective or goal. In short, learner attainment in this scenario leads to final ideal hypothetical results. This reversal is both a hook and a motivation for engaged learners. Strategic implementation of such teaching practices can serve to increase learner motivation, agency and positive adaptation.

Borrowing from different fields, this presentation will re-examine the role of the EAP educator and context in addressing competing challenges while complementing and supplementing current understanding in this old/new conceptual theorisation.

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