The development of criticality amongst undergraduate students of Spanish

The skills-based versus knowledge-based learning debate in British higher education has given rise to a double agenda, clearly observable in Modern Languages degrees, where the sometimes called "content units" (knowledge- based learning) form one dimension, and the "language units" (skills-based learning) form the other. The organization of this structure is sustained in the understanding that knowledge-based courses provide students with the necessary intellectual tools for students to make informed judgments of the different contexts and situations where their (linguistic, or other) skills can be applied. From this perspective, a Modern Languages degree offers invaluable opportunities for undergraduates to develop as well-rounded critical beings (Barnett, 1997). However, a programme where its main components are conducted in (at least) two different linguistic codes, poses additional, but often overlooked challenges for the transferability of information and skills between units described above. This could affect at the same time the development of Modern Languages students' criticality. It is hoped that this study will contribute to our understanding of this higher level learning process involving two languages. This research explores the different learning experiences organized for students of languages, which curriculum designers believe help students to build up their capacity to behave critically in different areas of their professional and personal lives. Through an ethnographic-type investigation, this study aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the elements involved in the development of Spanish students' criticality, and in particular, of the ways these elements are interlinked with one another. The data collected for this investigation includes samples of students' oral and written work, interviews with students and tutors, classroom observations and a collection of course documents and university documentation, all of which was qualitatively recorded and analysed.