Table of ContentsIntroduction ...2Available Literature 2Hypothesis 5Participants ....5Ethical Considerations ....5Method ..5Results and Discussion ...6Validity, Reliability and Limitations of the Study ...............9Conclusion 9Reference List .....10Appendix ..11

IntroductionAs an Australian student currently studying in Spain, I came across the website www.languageforexchange.com with the intention of finding an exchange partner in order to improve my Spanish. After I had created a profile that informed viewers about my background and the number of languages I spoke, the latter completely took me by surprise. The number of Spanish university students who were sending me messages either via the websites chat or email system to offer Spanish in exchange for English, flooded my home page and thus inspired me to do the following research. Why the medium of English has become a linguistic tool of necessity for Spanish university students?

Available LiteratureIn recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature exploring the use of English in a wide range of contexts; particularly continental Europe. For instance; Berns (1995), Cenoz and Jessner (2000), Dushku (1998) and Fonzari (1999) are just a few authors to mention who have contributed to this field of study. Unfortunately, the same could not be said with the amount of literature exploring the role of English in Spain. However, one author who has shed light on this area is Reichelt (2006); claiming that after Francos rule a growing interest on Spains part, together with the interest in joining the European Community, led to a higher demand for English. Why English?

When considering theoretically it has no greater status, than, say French or Swedish in Europe, but with many large corporations, and even in Europes governmental institutions, it is demanded as the common functioning language. According to David Crystal (2003); one of the worlds foremost authorities on language, there is only one reason that could explain this, not only within Europe, but also for other continental regions, and that is Englishs global status. In Crystals (2003) validation, he refers to the rational, the power of the people who speak the language; especially their political and military power to describe how a language has traditionally achieved a global status. His justification becomes increasingly clear when he rhetorically questions the dominance of Greek and Latin many centuries ago, and intuitively replies with the answer lies in the swords and spears wielded by the armies of Alexander the Great and ask the legions of the Roman Empire (Crystal 2003, p. 9). Not only do these old language references illustrate Crystals (2003) point, but at the same time they subconsciously raise the question; what is the story behind English? Again, it is Crystal (2003), but this time it his account of Englishs powerful historical context that helps to understand English achieving a global status. Firstly, he refers to English as being the language of the leading colonial nation, Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries, and again glorifies it with Britain at the time of the Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries. Next, he proceeds on to the relevance of English as being the language of the leading economic power, the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite explaining the military and economic power of English speakers, in what, Crystal (2003, p. 78) claims has been the key for English reaching a global status is that is has found itself in the right time at the right place. As a result, when new technologies brought new linguistic opportunities, English emerged as the global language in industries which affected all aspects of society, including the press, advertising, broadcasting, motion pictures, sound recording, transport and communications. At the same time, when the world was forging new networks of international alliances, English was the clear first choice for a unique global language. Thus by the sixties, the supremacy of the language was established, but it could not have been at that time described as a genuine world language until two events which ensured its global status. The first was the movement towards political independence, out of which English emerged as a language with a special status in several new countries. In most of these, the role of English had come to be so fundamental that no other language could compete, once the moment of independence arrived. The other event was the electronic revolution, where here too English was in the right place at the right time. The development of the 20th century computers has been almost entirely an American affair. The Internet started in the United States, and by the time it spread throughout the rest of the world, its linguistic patterns such as its architecture and software programming were all made in the USA. Although computer languages are not like natural languages, they have inevitably been greatly influenced by the mother tongue of the programmers, and this has been largely English. From these historical events mentioned above, it is clear that there is a close link between language dominance and economical, technological, and cultural power too. Without a strong power base, of whatever kind, no language can make progress as an international medium of communication. Language has no self-governing existence; it lives in some sort of mystical space apart from the people who speak it. Language exists only in the brains, mouths, ears, hands and eyes of its users. When they succeed, on the international stage, their language succeeds. When they fail, their language fails.

Given that English has acquired a global status, the Spanish have a very strong interest in learning it, and students are commencing their studies at younger and younger ages. The Spanish have a variety of reasons for engaging themselves to learn English, including for work, travel, studying abroad, and establishing contact with non-Spanish speakers. Despite this intense interest, only 18% of Spaniards speak, read, and write English with ease, as opposed to 31% of non-native-English speakers in the European Union at large (Reichelt 2006, p. 4). This suggests that Spaniards intense interest in English may be in part as a result of a perceived need to catch up with the rest of Europe. According to a survey study conducted by Seedhouse (1995), Spanish students aged 14 to 18 perceived the need of English as to travel to other countries, speak to foreign people, and to get a better job when they finished school and not to forget the recognition of its global status. Despite the fact, the number of survey participants was small; the responses convey that the primary sources of motivation for youth engaging themselves in learning English were to be social and psychological. Seedhouse (1995) describes these primary sources of motivation of English as being sophisticated, international mobile Europeans of the future, and believing that English is the language of youth and entertainment. Not only is the social and professional importance of English is perceived by teens, but also by adults. According to Smith (1997) the primary prestige value of English in Spain, is nothing more than the desire to show-off. English, as he claims is trending in virtually every field. For example the youth pick out English expressions from the music they listen to; businessmen feel the urge to demonstrate their prowess of commercial English; and media journalists wanting to make it clear that they are not lagging behind. In addition English is perceived important at the university level, but until recently, all public universities had to teach all subjects in either Castilian or the local regional language. According to Kingsley (2011), in the past decade due to a number of private schools offering bilingual Spanish-English, universities now have realised the importance of following the same trend in order to attract students from abroad. This means that there is now a high demand for good English proficiency at the university level, and many students who had not foreseen this now need to catch up. As a result many students want to study in an English-speaking country, with the United States and the United Kingdom as popular locations for preparation in the fields of business, tourism, communications, engineering and advertising. Thus, it has become the medium of instruction in technical or scientific fields in some university departments and is also frequently used to read textbooks and keep up with research (Warschauer 2000). In this sense, English is more like a second language in it use for access to information and for membership in the technical or scientific community.

So far, all the evidence in the current literature irrefutably indicates English as the global language today, as Crystal (2003) has demonstrated English has found itself at the right time in the right place and therefore has influenced society in terms of press, advertising, broadcasting, motion pictures, sound recording, transport and communications. Despite the lack of literature investigating Englishs role in Spain, authors such as Reichelt (2006) and Seedhouse (1997) have conveyed that there is a strong interest amongst Spaniards to learn English, and the main sources of motivation for this are social, psychological and professional determinants. However, it is also noteworthy to underline that English has only been a recent phenomenon in Spain over the last three decades or so, considering Franco had restricted foreign-languages. Now Spanish governments across all regions are realising the importance of English, and have imposed initiatives in order to increase the populations English skills. Similarly, English has only been a recent medium of instruction at the university level over the last decade, and Spanish university students in subjects such as engineering, computer science, architecture, pharmacy and history require a high proficiency of English. The fact that no significant literature has accounted for the necessity of English at the university level, makes it an interesting area of research to further investigate. Do Spanish university students conceive the same motives for learning English as the same as those mentioned by Seedhouse (1995) and Reichelt (2006) or are there other factors that have not been mentioned? Therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate and contribute to the current literature why the medium of English has become a linguistic tool of necessity for Spanish university students?

HypothesisTaking into consideration that English has become a global language, and Spain has been hit hard by the economic crisis in 2008 with unemployment increasing, the recent need for the medium of English at the university level is that Spanish university students need to catch up to the rest of the world in order open up better working opportunities for themselves in the future.

ParticipantsThe participants of this study are 40 Spanish students who are learning English at university. The purpose of sampling students who are in the process of learning English is to gain accurate information in terms of why it has been a recent occurrence over the last decade or so.

Ethical ConsiderationsIn conducting the study all participants have came first, their interests, privacy, and sensitivities have been safeguarded. All participants who had requested to keep themselves anonymous in terms of name have been respected. Nobody during the process of the study was harmed either physically or emotionally. All participants have been informed of the researchs aim and findings, and have been provided with identification of the researchers credentials with no exaggerations claiming more than what they are.

MethodThe methodology employed by this study is Survey. According to Ross (1974) a survey can be distributed widely without considerable expense, thereby reaching a larger number of respondents than would be possible through an interview. The fact that the inquiry is in a set form makes it more consistent than oral questioning, which usually possesses an element of variation. Through constructive questioning, the researcher is allowed to obtain specific information from the respondents in order to answer the research question. Additionally the quantitative data obtained from the surveys, allows statistical data to be displayed in tables and graphs to ease the researchers ability to evaluate, discuss and make conclusions about the results (Thomas 1999).

The following were the steps carried out during the survey study: 1. To construct a survey that would examine literature exploring the role of English in Spain. The primary focus of the survey is to access information regarding the necessity of English for Spanish university students. 2. To find 40 Spanish university students who are learning English at the university level. 3. To delegate the survey to each student with an explanation of the surveys purpose.4. To receive completed surveys, analyse them and form results. 5. To form discussion, conclusion and inform participants about the findings.

Results and DiscussionWhen the survey participants were asked if they believed that Spain needed to catch up with the rest of Europe in terms of learning English; a simple yes or no question. The entire survey sample responded with a yes; some even revealing further information. These students revealed that the level of English in Spain was really low and supported Reichelt (2006) who claimed only 18% of Spaniards speak, read, and write English. In particular, one student revealed that although she believed Spain needed to catch up, the level of English in other European countries are also low. This also confirms what Reichelt (2006) indicated by stating there are only 31% of non-native English speakers in the European Union at large. Furthermore one student had claimed that the level of English in Spain should already be almost bilingual, despite indicating progression each year. In other words illustrating the interest in learning English amongst Spaniards is ever growing.

When the survey participants were asked which of the following reasons: employment, travel, study abroad, speaks with English speakers, global status of English or other indicated their need for learning English; ninety percent of the survey sample had chosen more than one reason. According to the results the main reason for Spanish university students engaging themselves in learning English, is for the necessity of employment. Considering the global status of English and Spain being hit hard by the economic crisis in 2008, it is not surprising to see that Spanish university students are learning English in order to improve their employment opportunities. Therefore the hypothesis of this study corresponds to what the majority of the responses indicate. The second most common need for English was travel; conveying the fact that Spanish university students are aware of Englishs worldwide recognition and its convenience when travelling to foreign countries, even if English is not that countrys first foreign language. Furthermore this correlates with the reason of Englishs global status as being the third most selected option by Spanish university students. However, a few participants indicated other reasons for learning English; these were the liking of the language, expanding labour borders and the liking of English culture whether it is music, films or festivities. Overall, the results indicate that Spanish university students have the same typical reasons for learning English such as those mentioned by Reichelt (2006) and Seedhouse (1995), but highlight employment as the most concerning need for learning English. Once again with the option of selecting more than one category, when the survey participants were asked which of the following: to be sophisticated, to be an international mobile European, English is the language of youth and culture, or other was their motivational reason for learning English; fifty percent of the participants had chosen only other as their answer. Those that had selected only other gave reasons such as the ability to increase knowledge of language and culture, to be able to talk with people who know English, to travel, the global status of English and to open up opportunities of work as motivational sources. From these responses it is clear that the motivation for learning English correlates with the need of learning English. In addition these results prove that the primary sources of motivation are not only social and psychological as Seedhouse (1995) describes from his survey study, but also economical too.

According to the survey results, the most common value of learning English for Spanish university students is to be able improve employment opportunities. Whether participants were aware or not of Englishs global status, their responses conveyed the message due to it is worldwide recognition, English allows an individual to expand their life opportunities in terms of work, leisure, and travel and also to access popular entertainment culture. Unfortunately, only a few responses confirmed Smiths (1997) study which stated the main prestige value of English in Spain, is nothing more than the desire to show-off. For Spanish university students English seems to be taken seriously generally for the expanding life opportunities with employment, leisure, travel and culture. The following is an example of the best answer obtained from the survey study and demonstrates the importance of learning English for a Spanish university student:

El ingls es uno de los idiomas ms importantes y ms hablados del mundo, as que es necesario saber hablarlo, escribirlo y entenderlo. Es til para tener unas oportunidades de trabajo ms altas debido a la globalizacin, por el simple hecho de tener ciertos conocimientos de idiomas y cultura general, para poder salir de Espaa por placer o trabajo, para conocer gente alrededor del mundo y para ocio.

English is one of the most important and spoken languages in the world, so it is necessary to know it, speak it, write it and understand it. It is useful for having more employment opportunities due to its globalization, the simple fact of having certain knowledge of languages and general culture, to be able to get out of Spain for pleasure or work, to meet people around the world and for leisure

Lastly, the survey results indicate that sixty percent of the participants were learning English as an elective, compared to the forty percent who were learning English because their degrees did require an English proficiency. A statistic which represents Kingsleys (2011) statement of universities realising the importance of English and offering Spanish students to undertake English, even if their degrees do not demand English proficiency. However, the students who required an English proficiency demonstrated responses that varied accordingly to their degrees. For example graphic design students claimed it was obligatory to have a level of B1 English in order to graduate, and civil engineering students stated that more and more Spanish companies were demanding a high proficiency of English and those who do not have this knowledge were disadvantage in finding a job. Meanwhile other students indicated that learning English was to access information in their technical or scientific field, for example; one student who was studying English Studies required English proficiency for the literature and history of the language. In contrast, the students who were learning English as an elective expressed concern about the current employment situation in Spain and this contributed to their reason of pursuing English. A vast majority of these students believed English would allow them to open up doors in the labour market and possibly a future outside of the country. Despite the fact that their degrees did not require a level of English, these students were aware of Englishs global status and expanding their knowledge of another language would favour their ability of finding employment in another country.

Validity, Reliability & Limitations of the StudyThe research contains validity as data had been gained from Spanish university students studying in different Spanish cities. For example all the participants were not from one particular city and the survey included students from Valencia, Madrid, Cadiz, Leon, Santander, Barcelona, and Zaragoza just to mention a few. The same could be said about the reliability of the research; the study consisted of forty Spanish university students and allowed to obtain repeated results. Although the reliability of the research could have been improved by surveying more students it would have been very time consuming to analyse more data. There are also some limitations of the survey as a small amount of students had forgotten to put the degree which they were studying. Furthermore two students had not understood a question and this might have been due to the fact of the researcher having a language barrier or the participants common sense. Despite this, all the written responses were understood clearly and therefore there is good level of validity and reliability in the research.

ConclusionThe very little work that has explored the role of English in Spain has provided a crucial basis of information for examining the need of English for Spanish university students. This survey study in fact supports Reichelt (2006) that the level of English in Spain is really low, with 100% of the Spanish university students believing the country needs to, not only significantly improve its level of English at the university level but a general implication for the population of Spain, and Europe as well. However, given that English in Spain has only been introduced after Francos rule, the interest of Spaniards in learning the language varies greatly depending on the individuals situation. For the vast majority of Spanish university students the interest in engaging themselves in learning English is mainly for employment purposes. Considering the economic crisis that Spain has been in and the staggering unemployment rate of the youth, it is no surprise that students want to improve their employment opportunities by learning English. However there are other purposes for learning English amongst university students which corresponds to the typical reasons Seedhouse (1995) and Reichelt (2006) have mentioned; such as travel, study abroad, contact with English speakers and its global status. In addition the study has found new reasons for university students taking up English, for example; the liking of the language, expanding labour borders and the taste of English culture. Furthermore the study has concluded that the sources of motivation for learning English are not only social and psychological in which Seedhouse (1995) describes, but also economical too. This seems to be the primary source of motivation for Spanish university students taking up English and confirms that motivation and the need for learning English correlate. Lastly, the fact that the study found more students learning English as an elective indicates that more universities are offering English courses in order to provide students with the opportunity to expanding their knowledge that would favour them primarily in the labour market.

Reference List

Berns, M. 1995. English in the European Union, In English Today, vol. 43, pp. 3-11.

Cenoz, J. and Jessner, U. 2000. The Acquisition of a Third Language, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, vol. 15, pp. 195-207.

Crystal, D. 2003. English As a Global Language, Cambridge University Press, New York.

Dushku, S. 1998. English in Albania: Contact & Convergence, In World Englishes, Vol. 17, pp. 369-379.

Fonzari, L. 1999. English in the Estonian Multicultural Society, In World Englishes, Vol. 18, pp. 39-48.

Kingsley, J. 2011. English Language Market Report: Spain, A Report Prepared for the UKs English Language Sector, British Council Report, London.

Reichelt, M. 2006. English in Multilingual Spain, English Today, Vol. 22, pp. 3-9.

Seedhouse, P. 1995. Need Analysis & the General English Classroom, ELT Journal, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 59-65.

Smith, R. 1997. English in European Spanish. In English Today 52, 13 (4), pp. 2226.

Appendix: Survey Examples

Soy Tolga Ilbay estudiante de intercambio procedente de la Universidad de Tecnologa-Sdney. Estudio Gestin del Deporte y Ejercicio y Estudios Internacionales. Una de mis trabajos de investigacin es explorar: Por qu el ingls se ha convertido en destreza lingstica de necesidad para los estudiantes universitarios? Vuestra colaboracin ser altamente valorada. Muchas gracias

1. Nombre/Annimo: Ana

2. Edad: 20

3. Ciudad y Regin: Valencia

4. Titulo/Bachiller Licenciatura y Facultad: Comunicacin Audiovisual en la Universidad Politcnica de Valencia

5. Marca cualquiera de las siguientes categoras que indican por qu aprendes ingls. Empleo Viaje Estudiar en el extranjero Contactar con anglohablantes Posicin mundial del ingls Otro:

6. Crees que Espaa necesita ponerse al da con el resto de la Europa con respecto a aprender ingls? S o No?: Si

7. Marca cualquiera de las siguientes opciones que te ha/han motivado a aprender ingls. Ser visto sofisticado/a Ser europeo/a con presencia internacional El ingls es el idioma del entretenimiento y de la juventud Otra: aumentar mis idiomas

8. En tu opinin, cul es el valor de aprender ingls?: No entiendo a que te refieres

9. Marca una de las dos opciones que describe tu necesidad de aprender ingls y responde a las preguntas.

A) Estoy aprendiendo ingls porque mi bachiller/licenciatura exige competencia en ingls. Si esa declaracin es verdadera, Por qu es el ingls importante en tus estudios? :

B) Estoy aprendiendo el ingls como materia optativa. Si esa declaracin es verdadera, Por qu piensas que el ingls es importante para un/una estudiante universitario/a? : Porque te permite ampliar tus estudios en el extranjero, poder tener la opcin de acceder a un trabajo mejor o en el extranjero. Adems los idiomas siempre enriquecen a las personas ampliando sus conocimientos y horizontes.

Soy Tolga Ilbay estudiante de intercambio procedente de la Universidad de Tecnologa-Sdney. Estudio Gestin del Deporte y Ejercicio y Estudios Internacionales. Una de mis trabajos de investigacin es explorar: Por qu el ingls se ha convertido en destreza lingstica de necesidad para los estudiantes universitarios? Vuestra colaboracin ser altamente valorada. Muchas gracias

1. Nombre/Annimo: Annimo

2. Edad:22

3. Ciudad y Regin: Cdiz (Andaluca)

4. Titulo/Bachiller Licenciatura y Facultad: Bachiller

5. Marca cualquiera de las siguientes categoras que indican por qu aprendes ingls. Empleo X Viaje Estudiar en el extranjero Contactar con anglohablantes Posicin mundial del ingls Otro:

6. Crees que Espaa necesita ponerse al da con el resto de la Europa con respecto a aprender ingls? S o No?: Para tener ms oportunidades de trabajo

7. Marca cualquiera de las siguientes opciones que te ha/han motivado a aprender ingls. Ser visto sofisticado/a X Ser europeo/a con presencia internacional El ingls es el idioma del entretenimiento y de la juventud Otra:

8. En tu opinin, cul es el valor de aprender ingls?: Salida profesional

9. Marca una de las dos opciones que describe tu necesidad de aprender ingls y responde a las preguntas.

C) *Estoy aprendiendo ingls porque mi bachiller/licenciatura exige competencia en ingls. Si esa declaracin es verdadera, Por qu es el ingls importante en tus estudios? : Bajo mi punto de vista, el ingls es un idioma importante para el estudio porque las empresas en Espaa cada vez lo estn exigiendo mas, y es una forma de descartar a personas que no lo sepan D) Estoy aprendiendo el ingls como materia optativa. Si esa declaracin es verdadera, Por qu piensas que el ingls es importante para un/una estudiante universitario/a? :

Soy Tolga Ilbay estudiante de intercambio procedente de la Universidad de Tecnologa-Sdney. Estudio Gestin del Deporte y Ejercicio y Estudios Internacionales. Una de mis trabajos de investigacin es explorar: Por qu el ingls se ha convertido en destreza lingstica de necesidad para los estudiantes universitarios? Vuestra colaboracin ser altamente valorada. Muchas gracias

1. Nombre/Annimo: Jorge Garca.2. Edad:22 aos3. Ciudad y Regin: Ponferrada, Len4. Titulo/Bachiller Licenciatura y Facultad:Ingeniera Civil, Escuela Tcnica Superior Caminos Canales y Puertos, Santander (Cantabria).5. Marca cualquiera de las siguientes categoras que indican por qu aprendes ingls. Empleo S Viaje S Estudiar en el extranjero Contactar con anglohablantes S Posicin mundial del ingls S Otro:

6. Crees que Espaa necesita ponerse al da con el resto de la Europa con respecto a aprender ingls? S o No?:S.7. Marca cualquiera de las siguientes opciones que te ha/han motivado a aprender ingls. Ser visto sofisticado/a Ser europeo/a con presencia internacional S. El ingls es el idioma del entretenimiento y de la juventud S Otra: Conocer otra cultura y otra lengua.

8. En tu opinin, cul es el valor de aprender ingls?:Poder desplazarte por el mundo sin miedo a no hablar el idioma de destino.9. Marca una de las dos opciones que describe tu necesidad de aprender ingls y responde a las preguntas.

E) Estoy aprendiendo ingls porque mi bachiller/licenciatura exige competencia en ingls. Si esa declaracin es verdadera, Por qu es el ingls importante en tus estudios? : Hoy en da el mercado laboral se est globalizando, por lo que un conocimiento del ingls es primordial para la bsqueda de trabajo.

F) Estoy aprendiendo el ingls como materia optativa. Si esa declaracin es verdadera, Por qu piensas que el ingls es importante para un/una estudiante universitario/a? :

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In-Country Study, SPAIN MAJORThis form should be filled in, saved and attached at the front of each electronically submitted ICS assessment task. An Electronic Copy is available on the ICS Spain Major UTSOnline site under Assignments.

UTS: INTERNATIONAL STUDIESASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Student Name: Tolgay IlbayStudent Number: 11036199Student Contact Email: Tolgay.Ilbay@student.uts.edu.auStudent Contact Number: +34633868628Lecturer/Tutors Name: Aleksandra Hadzelek

Due Date:10/07/13Word Count: 3678Date Submitted:10/03/13Assessment Type:Methodology 2: Survey Studye.g. Cultural Report: First Impressions

Assignment Title: Why the Medium of English Has Become a Linguistic Tool of Necessity for Spanish University Students?

I confirm that:This assignment is my own work, I have a copy of this assignment; and, I am aware of the penalties for lateness and plagiarism.

Ethics of research: Checklist

In my research I have appropriately:|_|Identified myself as a researcher from UTS|_|Considered the issue of privacy for participants|_|Considered any potential risks for participants|_|Considered any potential risks for myself as the researcher|_|Considered issues of confidentiality of information|_|Provided information to participants so they are informed of the purpose of the research.

Signed:Tolgay Ilbay

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