English language proficiency for Higher Education and professional contexts: the challenge Burundi is facing for global integration

  • Deogratias Nizonkiza NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITYand MCGILL UNIVERSITY
  • Kris van de Poel NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY, POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS and UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP

Abstract

This paper assesses foreign language proficiency acquired in higher education in light of the communicative skills needed in professional life. English majors at the University of Burundi took TOEFL and completed a questionnaire investigating their potential role in the country’s regional integration. Results indicate that (i) the level of proficiency is rather low with the majority of graduating students at intermediate level; (ii) skills/components develop in the order grammar, reading comprehension and vocabulary, and listening, i.e. receptive skills are better developed than productive/communicative skills and, (iii) English majors are aware of both the linguistic challenges to be met and their role in the country’s regional integration in the East African Community. On the basis of the findings, which are underscored by lecturers, suggestions are made for redefining teaching/learning objectives and outcomes in the hope to enhance graduates' general language proficiency and the professional roles of future generations of English majors.

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Author Biographies

Deogratias Nizonkiza, NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITYand MCGILL UNIVERSITY
Déogratias Nizonkiza (PhD from the University of Antwerp in Belgium) is a Postdoctoral researcher at North-West University, South Africa, investigating the relationship between knowledge of collocations and academic literacy. He is also affiliated with McGill University, where he teaches at the McGill Writing Centre. 
Kris van de Poel, NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY, POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS and UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP
Kris Van de Poel (PhD Edinburgh University) is a professor in Applied Linguistics at the University of Antwerp where she coordinates international research at the Unit for Applied Language Studies. She is also an extraordinary professor at the School of Languages of North-West University in South Africa.
Published
2023-02-21
Section
Articles