English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in Vietnamese Universities: Policies of Encouragement and Pedagogies of Assumption

Abstract

Over the past ten years, offering English-medium-instruction (EMI) courses has been a significant trend in Vietnamese higher education. However, like many universities in Japan and China and other countries, Vietnamese universities are facing issues in the delivery of EMI courses at both institutional policy and classroom pedagogical levels. This chapter reports on in-depth interviews with four university managers and ten lecturers at several public universities in Vietnam. The findings illuminate the question of what drives EMI in such universities, highlighting domestic competitiveness and at the same time a lack of attention to educational goals for EMI. We argue that, together with a lack of professional development preparedness and resources, this lack of attention to educational goals has led to the practice of what can be conceptualised as a ‘policy of encouragement’ for EMI, offering little or no policy guidance on EMI pedagogy. Furthermore, based on the lecturers’ personal accounts of their course practices, we contend that this unguided encouragement has been one of the primary reasons for the practice of a ‘pedagogy of assumption’ on the part of lecturers—assumptions about what EMI ‘is supposed to be’ and ‘what the university expects’, as well as assumptions about the EMI learning challenges for students. The chapter ends with recommendations for a more coordinated approach to the delivery of EMI at institutional and classroom levels.