Helping Students Learn in EMI Courses Using Reciprocal Teaching: A Case Study of a Taiwan University

I-Chia Chou

doi:10.20849/aes.v1i2.57

Abstract

Offering English-medium-instruction (EMI) courses in universities and colleges has gradually become a national policy in Taiwan. However, many students struggle in EMI courses. One possible reason is that Taiwanese students do not have sufficient English competence to understand academic text and academic lectures in English. Reciprocal teaching (RT) has been considered an effective way to increase students’ reading comprehension in many elementary and junior-high school language classrooms. Yet, few studies have been done for tertiary-level students. Thus, this small-scale pilot study was conducted to examine whether there was an effect of reciprocal teaching on students’ academic performance. A class of 62 students enrolling in Educational Psychology was taught first in a traditional lecturing style (about 2 months) and later in RT (about 2 months). Data was collected at four time periods (2 in-class quizzes and 2 achievement tests). Results of one-way repeated ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference on students’ test score before and after the intervention. This suggests that the RT technique may help Taiwanese students comprehend academic text and further help them learn in EMI courses.

Highlights

In response to the trend of globalization, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan has started to encourage universities and colleges to expand the percentage of English Medium Instruction (EMI) lectures to allow students to gain both specialized knowledge and enhanced English ability
There are several important factors related to the successful implementation of EMI classes, including suitable learning materials, appropriately trained instructions, a perceived need for English as a medium of instruction, a threshold level of learner proficiency in the medium language, and a supportive language environment in the larger societal context (Gu, 2004; Hu, 2002)
The ability to read and understand academic text is highly correlated with academic success (Doolittle, et al, 2006; Hart and Speece, 1998; Lewis, 2000; Nakatani, 2005)

Summary

Introduction

1.1 Introduce the ProblemIn response to the trend of globalization, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan has started to encourage universities and colleges to expand the percentage of English Medium Instruction (EMI) lectures to allow students to gain both specialized knowledge and enhanced English ability. Students can learn the main subjects of their academic field while practicing their English (Kim, Son & Sohn, 2009) While this policy seems to be a promising plan, the effectiveness of current EMI lectures in Taiwanese higher education has been questioned. Because students have difficulties understanding the content of the textbook or the lecture in EMI, their performance in quizzes or examinations is usually poor. Even though English proficiency plays a crucial role in students’ academic achievements in EMI classes, students with high language proficiency can experience the same difficulties. This is because academic English is a different genre from daily-used English. If students can understand the assigned English reading texts, it will further help them understand English-only lectures

Objectives

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Results