Road-Mapping English-Medium Instruction in Vietnamese Universities: The Divergence of Agency

Abstract

This chapter critically reviews the development of EMI in Vietnamese universities, with a particular focus on the agency available to and utilised by its various participants. The theoretical lens is through the six dimensions of the ROAD-MAPPING framework established by Dafouz and Smit (2016, 2020). ROles of English, Academic Disciplines, (language) Management, Agents, Practices and Processes, and INternationalisation and Glocalisation. Each dimension is explored in terms of the actors involved at national, institutional, and individual levels. The analysis sheds light on the perceptions, rationales, goals, and requirements of these various actors with regard to EMI, demonstrating a considerable divergence of agency. This divergence is attributed to several factors including (1) the top-down model of policymaking and management at the national and, to a lesser extent, institutional level, (2) the dominance of non-educational goals at the institutional level where institutions have to respond to a variety of factors undermining their academic operation, (3) the lack of policy guidance, EMI professional development, and practical support for lecturers, and (4) the quality, disciplinary focus, and ongoing curriculum support for students’ English language development. The analysis demonstrates that these factors have particular effects at national, institutional, and individual levels within each of the dimensions of EMI. It is concluded that such divergence calls for a close investigation of what is happening at the level of individuals in actual classrooms in order to inform the development of EMI in an effective and sustainable way at the national and institutional levels.