Abstract
<p>Globalisation and international mobility in the 21st century has led to the internationalisation of the English language (Crystal, 2003). Research regarding linguistic gains at university levels is however extremely scarce. This study aims to address this gap of knowledge and provide some answers as to how much linguistic gain can be expected after one year of English medium instruction. Two groups of undergraduate students enrolled in different levels of English medium instruction (EMI) were given a pre and post-test over a 1 year period. Results were analysed statistically; significant gains were found only in the semi- immersion group in the grammatical domain; although, there was a trend for improvement as well as higher scores for full immersion students. It might be interpreted that in order for linguistic gains to be seen in adults there needs to be some focus on form and language guidance (Muñoz, 2007; Pérez-Vidal, 2007). Thus, an integrated content and language (ICLHE) approach is more effective than a solely content based EMI model for university level content courses, if linguistic gains are the desired outcomes of the programme.</p>
Highlights
This preliminary study examines the effects of English medium instruction (EMI)
This study aims to address this gap of knowledge and provide some answers as to how much linguistic gain can be expected after one year of English medium instruction
As Sercu (2004) summed up: If lecturers cannot provide appropriate language input, if students are not provided with adequate opportunities for interaction in the foreign language, if students do not already possess a command of the language that allows them to benefit from English-medium instruction, the hoped for enhancement of students’ language skills may remain forthcoming. (p. 548) Some limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are: the current study was a preliminary study and it would be well worth it to repeat the same analysis on a larger number of students
Summary
This preliminary study examines the effects of English medium instruction (EMI). The article supplies an overview of the rise of English as a Lingua Franca in Higher Education (HE), focusing in particular on the European Union setting and the policies that support multilingualism in education. To set the background to the study, two fields are reviewed. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), which is considered a predecessor of EMI, because it has been in place for some years across primary and secondary education levels, as Suggested citation: Ament, J. Linguistic outcomes of English medium instruction programmes in higher education: A study on economics undergraduates at a Catalan university
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