Socioenvironmental affordances of an English-medium instruction international university specializing in English as a lingua franca communication: An exploratory study of L2 student voices

Abstract

Previous studies show that international universities that adopt English-medium instruction (EMI) policies provide multilingual environments where students can engage in the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF). Drawing on affordance theory, this study is an exploration of how socioenvironmental factors of the EMI international university affect second language (L2) students’ use of ELF for intercultural communication. Interviews with 15 students on the offshore campus of a Hong Kong university in mainland China revealed an inventory of ELF-related affordances of the international university in four categories: 1) existing affordances (i.e., EMI, multilingual, and ELT-by-NEST affordances), 2) perceived affordances (i.e., English use and intercultural communication affordances), 3) affordance engagement and agency (i.e., ELF communication practices), and 4) affordance actualization (i.e., perceived development of ELF communication skills and confidence in ELF use). In comparison, native English speaker (NES) ideology—associated with the ELT-by-NEST affordance—may constrain ELF communication, particularly when students were obsessed with English as a native language. The findings indicate that L2 students’ agentive engagement in practicing ELF-related affordances of an EMI international university may have helped them develop pragmatic skills for ELF communication. Educational implications from the socioenvironmental perspective are suggested.