Research as Part of the University of Cambridge Grant was Conducted at HSE Campus in Perm
Lecturers of the School of Foreign Languages in Perm Campus have received a grant from Cambridge English Language Assessment. Professor Tatyana Permyakova and Associate Professor Marina Sheveleva carried out a study ‘Perceptions towards BEC Exams in Higher School of Economics (Perm, Russia)’.
Lecturers of the School of Foreign Languages in Perm Campus have received a grant from Cambridge English Language Assessment. Professor Tatyana PermyakovaMarina Sheveleva
Tatyana Permyakova’s and Marina Sheveleva’s cooperation with the University of Cambridge took place from November 2013 to December 2014. In January 2015 a report of the study was issued. Lecturers of the School of Foreign Language shared their impressions on participation in the project.
Marina Sheveleva:
— Participation in this project was a very useful and positive experience for me. Our research led to some interesting results. Most students who were preparing for BEC exams had a higher motivation to study English, since they were setting a clear goal, which needed to be reached within a certain period of time (six to eight months). In addition to that, almost all respondents said that BEC certificates would be helpful in their careers.
It is also important that the results of the study will be used to improve how international exams in business English are organized and conducted.
Tatyana Permyakova :
— The most interesting thing in this type of research is specific data and its interpretations. It was very interesting to see how some students who quite realistically evaluate their language competencies and the level of the exam’s difficulty nevertheless expect a ‘small miracle’ in terms of the results. Unfortunately, both for students and their teachers, miracles rarely happen during exams. But fortunately, both for students and their teachers, preparation for exams nearly always pays off.