Abstract
This study explored the prioritization of English-medium instruction (EMI) teachers’ needs for faculty development and institutional support by applying a best–worst scaling approach to an EMI program in Japan. This prioritization is important as EMI programs need management under various constraints (e.g., time, budget, and teachers). This study also investigated how teachers’ needs for institutional support differ by English language competence and EMI teaching experience and their relationship with EMI programs (e.g., full-time or adjunct). Questionnaire surveys administered to 38 EMI teachers revealed that, overall, faculty development (FD) program menus training teaching styles, speaking skills, communication skills, and respecting the diversity of students should be prioritized such that it varies depending on the teachers’ English language competence levels but not their teaching experience. Irrespective of their relationship with EMI programs, the recognition and appreciation of their burdens, efforts, and contributions is most needed. There are noticeable differences based on their position over the necessity of pedagogical guidelines, teaching load, and economic incentive.
Highlights
Because of the ongoing trend of internationalization and the adoption of English as a lingua franca in higher education (HE) around the world [1,2,3], the expansion of English-medium instruction (EMI) is inexorable and considered one of the most significant phenomena in HE [4]
What makes EMI unique and challenging is that EMI programs are offered by universities in non-Anglophone countries where the primary language is not English, which results in EMI teachers with limited English language competence teaching English [8,9,10]
We developed items based on the literature and informed by interviews conducted with EMI teachers (Table 3)
Summary
Because of the ongoing trend of internationalization and the adoption of English as a lingua franca in higher education (HE) around the world [1,2,3], the expansion of English-medium instruction (EMI) is inexorable and considered one of the most significant phenomena in HE [4]. EMI can be defined as “The use of the English language to teach academic subjects (other than English language itself) in countries or jurisdictions where the first language of the majority of the population is not English” [4] What makes EMI unique and challenging is that EMI programs are offered by universities in non-Anglophone countries where the primary language is not English, which results in EMI teachers with limited English language competence teaching English [8,9,10]. English language competence is not the sole challenge facing successful EMI implementation [11], it is a definitive feature; language competence is more inclusive than language proficiency that focuses on the structural aspects of language, by covering knowledge, skills, and delivery [12]
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