English-medium instruction in multilingual university settings

Abstract

Abstract To identify stakeholders’ conflicting interests regarding English-medium instruction (EMI) in multilingual university settings, this cross-case study utilised part of the data from a larger project examining the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders (i.e., students, teachers, and management) in business schools at a Chinese university and a Dutch university. Semi-structured interview data from 20 second- and third-year students and 13 staff members comprising management and teachers, both universities in total, were analysed using the ROAD-MAPPING framework. The results revealed conflicting interests in both contexts but in different forms and with different causes. Students’ opinions at the Chinese university conflicted most with teachers and management in terms of perceptions of counterparts’ English proficiency, while teachers at the Dutch university revealed concerns about the position of the national language, Dutch, which was less emphasised by the administration. We discuss these conflicting interests through the lens of Bourdieu’s capital theory, which posits a hierarchy of permanent conflicts in the field of higher education. Drawing carefully on each case, we present generalised suggestions to inform EMI policy and practice that could lessen conflicting interests among stakeholders.