English for Academic Purposes

Below is a list of the skills you will need when working on extended pieces of writing during your university career. The work you do on the EAP 1 course will help you develop these skills.

Tick the appropriate box for each skill, according to how well you think you can do this at the beginning of this course. Look again at the checklist throughout the course in order to identify areas for independent study.

Question 1. What are the challenges and/or opportunities for male and female students in higher education in England?

The participation rate of women has increased over the time in higher education as the society has undergone reformation to provide women an equal set of opportunities as men (Madara and Cherotich, 2016). In England, as well the gender equality in higher education is recognised as a welcome and progressive outcome however, there is a gender gap as far as academic performance of the male and female students is concerned. The state of under-achievement for male students in England has further highlighted the cases of increased drop-out rates of students. However, a major challenge that has been held accountable in case of female students in higher education in England is the disparity in payment structure (Jacobs, 2016). It has been reported that the female graduates face the disadvantage of lesser pay than their male counterparts on the basis on gender (Jacobs, 2016). In addition to this, another shortcoming that has been reported on part of authorities is of lack of regard for promotion of prospects for females for their academic excellence. This is one of the chief reasons which are responsible for under-representation of women in the fields of technology and science (The Higher Education Academy, 2011). In this context, the issue of gender insensitive pedagogy is also relatable for an all round development of interests of female students so that they are not discouraged by the management and curriculum for higher education. The unprecedented scale of involvement by females in education and employment can be appropriately linked to societal transformations but yet, the gap of gender disparity needs to be bridged by equalising the opportunities for males and females (David, 2015). There is a need to strike balance in terms of gender in higher education respects for the male students in England who are dropping out at a frequent rate and leaving their courses incomplete in the middle of the year due to poor academic performance. The main challenge is to overcome the limited availability of opportunities that curb the professional development of students. One of the crucial problems faced in the area of higher education by female students is related to their safety with cases of sexual harassment on rise which is rarely dealt by male students. The sense of security is not only essential for inclining females towards taking courses of their interest but also for encouraging them to pursue their academic interests on a continued level (David, 2015). The cases of offences and crime against females are one of the major challenges to be tackled while providing higher education on a gender balanced scale. The higher likeliness of women to attend college and universities for attaining higher education does not solve the problem of gender imbalance in the male female ratio in the area of higher education in England; instead the gender landscape needs to be changed in such a way that there is equality of employment opportunities and pay scale. The rate of course completion in higher education discipline is of vital importance too for efficiency of country’s human resource and hence, the rising number of male drop outs form colleges and universities cannot be ignored.

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