Towards Internationalisation in Teacher Education: An attempt to use English as the working language in a sociology course

Abstract

This paper describes an action research enquiry conducted at the State College of Education, Vienna. The author's main concern was the implementation of a Sociology course using English as the language of instruction. The paper describes the context in which the project took place, the main ideas of action research, the stages in planning, the adjustments which had to be made and the methods of evaluation. The results show many benefits for the students, the institution and the author. However, the costs of implementation also have to be taken into account. A critical reflection is given which makes it clear that institutional support is absolutely necessary for long-term success.