University lecturers’ perceived challenges in EMI

Abstract

English medium instruction (EMI) has gathered momentum in higher education in non-dominant English–speaking countries in Asia and Europe due to the increasing impact of globalisation and internationalisation. In tune with the global trend, universities in Vietnam have been increasingly adopting EMI to teach disciplinary subjects. Over the past two decades, Vietnam’s government has encouraged the implementation of EMI, which has resulted in an increased number of undergraduate programmes delivered in English in several universities in Vietnam. Despite the top-down push for EMI, the effects of EMI implementation are still open to debate. This chapter explores the implementation of English medium instruction in Vietnamese universities through lecturers’ perspectives. It presents a qualitative analysis of interviews with 22 lecturers delivering business courses at four universities in a major city in Vietnam. The findings suggest that the lecturers were in favour of EMI as they pointed to benefits of this approach to their profession. Paradoxically, they acknowledged several factors hindering the delivery of subjects through English. The study indicates that the current EMI implementation in Vietnamese universities produces more challenges than opportunities. Successful EMI practice requires adequate institutional support pertaining to the English proficiency of both lecturers and students, teacher training, and sufficient resources for teaching and research.