Internationalization, Mobility and English-Medium Instruction in the Context of Turkish Higher Education

Abstract

AbstractWithin the last decades, the European higher education system has witnessed transformative processes that have increasingly concentrated on internationalization. Specifically, pressures that stem from the competitiveness in the global academic market may have caused higher education institutions to adopt internationalization practices not only to attract more skilled students but also to improve their reputation. The literature on internationalization has inextricably linked internationalization to greater student mobility and increased use of English as the medium of instruction (EMI) while the possible linguistic outcome of internationalization has been Englishization. Like their international counterparts, Turkish higher education institutions have been engaging with internationalization in response to the increasing competition in the global market and the Bologna Process. Consequently, the number of students participating in mobility programs such as Erasmus+, the number of international students enrolled in Turkish universities, and the number of EMI programs have increased. As such, the chapter discusses the possible links between internationalization and EMI in Turkish higher education based on Turkey’s latest statistics on the incoming/outward university student mobility, the data on the number/origin of international students attending Turkish universities, and the number of existing EMI programs. These fundamental issues are discussed by considering foreign language policies prevalent in the Turkish higher education system and EMI’s potential, which is assumed to foster the internationalization and render study programs more accessible and attractive to international students.KeywordsInternationalizationForeign language policyEnglish-medium instruction (EMI)Student mobility