Turkish lecturers’ views on the place of mother tongue in the teaching of content courses through English medium

Abstract

One consequence of higher education institutions' efforts to internationalize themselves is the adoption of English medium instruction (EMI) in teaching. This is particularly the case in non-Anglophone countries. Although researchers have extensively canvassed the place of English in English as a foreign language (EFL) / English as a second language (ESL) in such countries, little has been researched on the place of mother tongue in EMI programmes. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the place of mother tongue in EMI courses. Data were garnered via interviews with EMI lecturers. The analyses indicate that lecturers are largely supportive of integration of Turkish into classes to varying degrees, and of letting students use it for certain purposes. Those against using Turkish in classes mainly underscore the presence of international students, and the institutional policy urging them to use English. The results offer practical implications for policy-makers and lecturers in terms of how they can adjust themselves to the current linguistic environment of their institutions.