Teachersʹ experiences of English-language-taught degree programs within health care sector of Finnish polytechnics

Summary rpose of this study was to research teachersʹ experiences of the English-Language-Taught Degree Programs in the health care sector of Finnish polytechnics. More specifically, the focus was on teachersʹ experiences of teaching methods and clinical practice. The data were collected from eighteen teachers in six polytechnics through focus group interviews. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. sults suggested that despite the positive interaction between students and teachers, choosing appropriate teaching methods provided a challenge for teachers, due to cultural diversity of students as well as to the use of a foreign language in tuition. Due to studentsʹ language-related difficulties, clinical practice was found to be the biggest challenge in the educational process. Staffsʹ attitudes were perceived to be significant for studentsʹ clinical experience. Further research using stronger designs is needed.