Abstract

Internationalisation of higher education has led to an increase in the offer of English Taught Programs (ETPs) and English Medium Instruction (EMI) in the last few years. While ETPs are gaining consensus they are also generating a series of questions, often interrelated, which are begging discussion. One of these is whether there is an effect – detrimental or otherwise – of the non-native speaker (NNS) of English as the ‘sender’ or ‘receiver’ of knowledge. Research into EMI is a growing field, with numerous studies of the lecturer role, with somewhat fewer studies investigating the students’ experiences. This paper aims to investigate the interaction between the non-native speaker (NNS) lecturer and NNS student, in order to assess the perceptions of the NNS and how knowledge is negotiated in a language which is not ‘owned’ by either party.

Highlights

  • Internationalisation of higher education has led to an increase in the offer of English Taught Programs (ETPs) and English Medium Instruction (EMI) in the last few years

  • This paper aims to investigate the interaction between the non-native speaker (NNS) lecturer and NNS student, in order to assess the perceptions of the NNS and how knowledge is negotiated in a language which is not ‘owned’ by either party

  • The internationalisation of higher education has brought about a swift increase, almost ‘explosion’, in the number of English Taught Programs (ETPs) being offered, and English Medium Instruction (EMI) in the last few years

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Summary

Introduction

The internationalisation of higher education has brought about a swift increase, almost ‘explosion’, in the number of English Taught Programs (ETPs) being offered, and English Medium Instruction (EMI) in the last few years. Some scholars have expressed concern about the widespread adoption of EMI it offers students and lecturers opportunities to further language and intercultural learning, and mobility for study and employment. This concern regards the risk that internationalisation may lead to education being considered a commodity to be negotiated in economic terms. Language is essential to the quality of the EMI classroom and the learning process, and some of the issues which have come up for scrutiny include discussion of language ‘competence’ This is intended as the students’, and the lecturers’, competence in English, given that it is the medium of instruction and is generally not the L1 of either party. Specific training and support for students has been less available and despite the success of internationalisation being measured in terms of the capacity to attract international students (Grin 2010; Clark forthcoming) there is little research investigating how students cope with EMI

EMI in Italy
The LEAP Project
Different Language Levels in Class
Does EMI Mean Learning Less?
English vs L1
Learning Outcomes
Language of Assessment
Language Support for Students
Findings
Conclusion

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