Collaborations between language and content university instructors: factors and indicators of positive partnerships

ABSTRACT

The spread of integrated language and content approaches alongside with the move towards specificity in English for academic purposes (EAP) have increased expectations of interaction between language and subject-areas instructors. This, in turn has intensified the need to examine collaborations between these two groups. This information is necessary for institutions to be aware of the investments required to support such partnerships, and to assess and recognize the contributions that emerge out of these endeavors. This article focuses on the experiences of EAP and disciplinary instructors collaborating in the context of a first year undergraduate program designed to support the academic socialization and language development of international English language learners at a large western Canadian university. The participants were six EAP and thirteen disciplinary instructors working together over the course of an academic year. Drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the multiple factors that enable and sustain such collaborative efforts, and identifies a number of indicators that serve as evidence of positive collaborations. This article also includes recommendations for future research on this topic.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher collaboration
• factors
• indicators
• adjunct
• English for academic purposes
• disciplinary
• instructors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all participating instructors for generously sharing the insights and reflections, as well as comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. I would also like to recognize the contributions from Victoria Surtees and Dmitri Detwyler, who assisted with data transcription and data analysis. My gratitude also goes to the editors of this journal issue for the publication opportunity; I also want to thank the anonymous reviewers for their encouraging, helpful feedback.

Notes on contributor

Sandra Zappa-Hollman is Assistant Professor of TESL in the department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. She also serves as Director of the Academic English Program at UBC Vantage College.

ORCID

Sandra Zappa-Hollman http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9042-3722

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by a UBC Hampton Research Endowment Fund, for which I am most grateful.