English-medium Research Articles

Learners’ everyday experiences of violence in English medium secondary education in Uganda

This paper explores how Ugandan secondary school learners experience schooling in English-medium schools where the use of English only is strictly enforced. We conceptualise the ways that the learners sit at the intersection of direct, systemic and cultural violence that in turn impacts their educational experiences. We particularly focus on instances of direct violence through corporal punishment, and the ways that such violence, and associated fear, are part of many learners’ everyday schooling experiences. We demonstrate this through presentation of findings from thematic analysis of individual and focus group interviews with 64 learners at two public and two private secondary schools in the Amuru and Kitgum districts of Northern Uganda. Our conclusions advocate for greater attention to be paid to the ways that changes to enforced English-only policies could support more positive well-being and educational outcomes.

Based on ideology theory: a corpus-oriented analysis of the UK traditional media coverage of China's belt and road initiative

ABSTRACT This article examines the depiction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in elite English media across Europe to discern sentiments and ideological disparities between China and the Western world. Using the PRISMA method, 1826 relevant research articles on the BRI were identified, and 42 were selected for detailed analysis. Additionally, 1357 news articles from the Financial Times, The Guardian and BBC from 2015 to 2023 underwent linguistic corpus analysis. Employing a three-dimensional critical discourse analysis (3d-CDA), the study scrutinized sample news articles, revealing ideological underpinnings across various dimensions and frames. The analysis indicates a growing negativity towards the BRI in European English media, with sentiments averaging 38% from 2015 to 2023 and peaking at 56% and 54% in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Ideological differences often discussed in academic circles include a contrast between the emphasis on individualism in the West and the values of collectivism prominent in Chinese culture. However, it is important to recognize the diversity within these broad categories. This research offers insights for BRI stakeholders and enriches academic discourse with updated data. Its novelty lies in its dual-tiered approach to news relevance for content analysis and the application of three-dimensional CDA to BRI news discourse, revealing ideological disparities not previously explored.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE OF PSYCHOLOGY: CREATING AN INTEGRATIVE BILINGUAL ENVIRONMENT FOR TEACHING STUDENTS

Language acquisition and learning play a special part in any child’s cognitive and linguistic development. The younger the children are, the deeper insight into psychology it takes. Academic subject Foreign language learning at young learners’ age is grounded in psychology and psycholinguistics, as one of the EMI-based[1] courses within the ELM programme of the Faculty of Education in Belgrade. We investigated, through focus-group interviews, our students’ (N=32) experience with psychology and language teaching courses to see how they prepare for work with children. The results confirm that integrative courses largely support their personal and professional growth from academic bilinguals to responsible and caring teachers of young learners. [1] English Medium Instruction – the use of English to teach academic subjects other than English itself in countries where the first language of the majority of the population is not English. (https://www.education.ox.ac.uk › research-groups › emi) [Accessed February 2024]

Enhancing Physics Conceptual Understanding: The Effectiveness of Olabs Media in High School

Enhancing Physics Conceptual Understanding: The Effectiveness of Olabs Media in High School

NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2020: PRACTICAL IMPEDIMENTS AND CHALLENGES

Quality education has been crucial and in demand in a rapidly changing global scenario. With the advent of new theories like constructivism in education, the academicians and the theorists believe that learners develop their understanding through experience rather than by stimulus and response which were the core concepts in the traditional behaviorist theories. National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is a document that seeks to make education equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The Policy advocates flexibility for the learners, to opt for the learning trajectories and programs, no hard separation between different domains of studies and multidisciplinary education. The policy has proposed to bring structural changes to the education system. The present paper is an attempt to foreground the challenges and hindrances to implementing and practicing a few of the structural changes and aspects. NEP 2020 states that the students will be able to choose many of the subjects and the level in which they take the Board examination- Medium level and Advanced level. The student will select different subjects for study in class 9th. This may invite more challenges relating to infrastructure, conducting examinations, recruiting teachers, etc. Emphasis on the mother tongue as a medium of instruction may be a problem for the children of people in transferable jobs, this means the private English Medium Schools will keep on flourishing. As per the guidelines the Foreign Colleges will be permitted to open campuses in India, however, there is less possibility to get admission in these colleges for the students whose medium of instruction will be regional language. This may again lead to widening the rift between the economically poor and the rich and may invite unequal learning patterns.

‘Parallax language planning and policy’ as a theory for navigating (con)(diver)gent interpretations of English Medium Instruction (EMI)

ABSTRACT This article introduces the theory of ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ which refers to the processes and the outcomes of reconciling various political and ideological variances by incorporating the fragments of different progressive discourses into synthetic language planning and policy. ‘Parallax’ captures the ‘changing’ nature of our interpretations of a phenomenon within a particular language planning and policy depending on our political, ideological and epistemological positions. ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ attests to the possibility of developing language plannings and policies that do not neatly fit into one particular position but rather interweave interpretations from various positions despite their contradictory natures. ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ understands that English Medium Instruction (EMI) is a contested terrain where the onto-epistemological, personal, pedagogical and political are interlocked, and it, thus, addresses the political construction of these differences (how they are rationalised, developed and disseminated) in policy defining, framing and making rather than the differences between various ideologies per se. This article draws on government policy initiatives, statistical reports, stakeholders’ interviews/speeches, scholars’ perspectives, news articles and social media posts to operationalise ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ as an analytical lens to examine the range of rationales, (im)possibilities, mechanisms and limitations to the sustainability of EMI in Moroccan higher education.

The Effectiveness Of Using Intens Book (Interactive English Book) Media In Learning English

ABSTRACT This research is generally attempted to find the effectiveness of using INTENS BOOK (Interactive English Book) media in learning English for the class X-AKL-3 students at SMK PGRI 1 Jombang academic year 2022/2023. To know whether this media is effective or not, the researcher used pre-experimental research applied in X-AKL-3 class. The research had been done in six meetings that were designed: first meeting was for pre- test, 4 meetings were for treatments, and the last meeting was for post-test. As the quantitative method, the researcher analyzed the data by using the paired sample t-test. The result showed that there was siginificant difference on the student’s mean score of pre-test’s score was 66,12. Then in post-test, the mean score was 84,12. In other words, INTENS BOOK media is effective in learning English for advance learner, especially for first grade of senior high school students. Key words: Intens Book Media, Learning English ABSTRAK Penelitian ini secara umum bertujuan untuk mengetahui keefektivan penggunaan media INTENS BOOK (Interactive English Book) dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris siswa kelas X-AKL-3 di SMK PGRI 1 Jombang tahun pelajaran 2022/2023. Untuk mengetahui efektif atau tidaknya media ini, peneliti menggunakan penelitian pra- eksperimental yang diterapkan di kelas X-AKL-3. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan dalam enam pertemuan yang dirancang pertemuan pertama untuk pre-test, empat pertemuan untuk treatment, dan pertemuan terakhir untuk post-test. Sebagai metode kuantitatif, peneliti menganalisis data dengan menggunakan uji-t sampel berpasangan . hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan pada nilai rata-rata siswa terhadap nilai pre-test sebesar 66,12. Kemudian pada post-test diperoleh nilai rata-rata sebesar 84,12 . Dengan kata lain, media INTENS BOOK efektif dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris bagi siswa tingkat lanjut, khususnya untuk siswa kelas satu sekolah menengah atas. Kata kunci: Media Intens Book, Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris

Influence of enhanced self-efficacy on English performance through English medium instruction: a mixed methods research

The adoption of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) has gained global traction, spurred on by higher education internationalization trends. Despite the widespread usage of EMI, its influence on students’ language development remains relatively unexplored. This study investigated the impact of EMI instruction on the self-efficacy and English performance of Taiwanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) undergraduates. The research aimed to discern whether EMI courses improve EFL undergraduates’ self-efficacy and how this self-efficacy can predict English performance. 272 Taiwanese EFL undergraduates were recruited for the study, and all of them joined the EMI courses for at least one semester. Data collection instruments included a revised questionnaire and TOEIC test, and a mixed approach was applied for data analyses. Quantitative analyses of repeated measure of ANOVA revealed a significant enhancement in the students’ self-efficacy across all four English skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) following EMI instruction. Moreover, the regression analysis established a moderate to strong positive relationship between English self-efficacy and English performance. The qualitative analysis of structured interview specifically elaborated on what participants’ attitudes were toward the implementation of EMI. These findings underscore the positive influence of EMI instruction on EFL undergraduates’ English self-efficacy and performance, substantiating the role of self-efficacy as a significant predictor of performance. These insights offer valuable implications for curriculum design, learner motivation, and academic success in EFL contexts.

Are students prepared and supported for English medium instruction in Chinese higher education to promote educational equality?

The global spread of EMI is a response to the internationalisation and marketisation of higher education. However, students may not fully benefit from EMI programmes if they are not adequately prepared. The extent to which students have been prepared to succeed in such programmes and acquire English as linguistic capital is an underexplored area. The present study addressed the research gap by investigating the preparation and support that students received in EMI programmes in Chinese higher education. The study adopted a mixed-methods design by collecting responses to an online survey from 248 students in different Chinese universities and conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 students regarding their preparation and support for, their learning motivation and views of EMI programmes as well as their expectations of EMI teachers. The findings showed that the students did not seem to be sufficiently prepared to achieve the dual goal of EMI (i.e., subject and language learning) and that the EMI programmes tended to widen the gap between students with different English proficiency and might lead to educational inequality. Finally, the students were critical of the quality of EMI teachers and favoured teachers with high English proficiency and pedagogical skills in delivering sophisticated content knowledge. These findings suggested that future studies need to explore strategies to better prepare and support students to benefit from EMI programmes and promote educational equality. Furthermore, the criteria for recruiting EMI teachers should be reconsidered to meet students’ learning needs and development.

Exploring the use of translanguaging in the EFL Classroom: Students’ feelings and attitudes on the role of first language and English-only instruction

This study investigates the perspectives and attitudes of students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom towards the use of their first language (L1) and English-only instruction. The aim is to understand how students perceive translanguaging and the role of their first language in the classroom and whether they believe incorporating it alongside English (L2) enhances their ability to express themselves and understand the content. This research took place in an adult high school in Indianapolis, IN USA. The findings reveal that students generally value the opportunity to use their first language in the classroom, as it helps them feel more comfortable, secure, and able to ask questions and seek clarification. However, there is also a preference among some students for English-only instruction, as they believe it facilitates language learning and immersion. These results suggest that incorporating students' first language in the EFL classroom may have pedagogical benefits, particularly in terms of improving students' confidence and understanding. The findings also highlight the importance of striking a balance between English-only instruction and incorporating students' first language to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment.

Studying Chinese, studying in Chinese and studying with the Chinese: international students’ experiences and identity construction in Chinese-medium instruction (CMI) programs

ABSTRACT While extensive studies have been devoted to English-medium instruction (EMI) in the internationalisation of higher education, only a few studies have investigated the language-related experiences and perceptions of international students in non-Anglophone contexts where the local/national language(s) serve as a medium of instruction for academic purposes. Given that Chinese universities have adopted a strong Chinese-medium instruction (CMI) initiative for international students in the past decade, this article makes a critical analysis of interviews with 48 African students to uncover CMI implementation in Chinese universities. The findings reveal that the students generally held positive attitudes towards the top-down CMI policy being implemented, despite the challenges encountered. However, the uncritical curriculum ‘Sinicisation’ also raised concerns about Chinese-only practices, the absence of appropriate learning materials and testing regimes, a lack of institutional support for using Chinese as an academic lingua franca, epistemic and social marginalisation of international students. As such, the article presents a complex interplay of language attitudes, language practices and identity construction in CMI programs, highlighting a hiatus between policy intentions and actual practices in classrooms. I conclude the article with recommendations for policymakers and future research on CMI policies and practices in China.

Whether English Proficiency and English Self-Efficacy Influence the Credibility of ChatGPT-Generated English Content of EMI Students

This study investigated whether English proficiency (EP) and English self-efficacy (ESE) influence the credibility of ChatGPT-generated English content (CCGEC) of college students in the English-medium instruction (EMI) courses. We observed a college-level EMI course called “Technical Writing and Presentation”, where instructors encouraged their students of non-English majors to use ChatGPT for discovery learning in their EMI learning tasks. A survey of 800 students showed that ChatGPT was primarily used for providing explanations, suggesting ideas and structures, and preparing presentations. Analyzing the survey data with the MANCOVA procedure revealed that students' EP levels did not influence their CCGEC, and ESE did not moderate the relationship between EP and CCGEC in the EMI course context. These findings suggest that ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for EMI students regardless of their EP or ESE.

Hong Kongers and their languages: bordering, scale and identity

Abstract In this paper, we examine discourses about border and scale in the context of Hong Kong’s relationship with mainland China. We argue that, as the physical and political borders between Hong Kong and the mainland are eroding, other forms of bordering practices – such as linguistic borders – become more salient and contested. We draw on selected thematic analyses of a corpus of 70 articles from Hong Kong English media, as well as socio-historical analyses that have widely circulated since Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China, in order to examine how the construction of “Cantonese” and “Mandarin” is managed against anxieties about Hong Kong’s potential loss of distinction and fears of becoming “just another Chinese city”. In this process, both borders and scales become key terrains of negotiation and function themselves as ideological resources in debates about Hong Kong’s identity and future, as certain distinctions take on reduced or pronounced meaning from particular scalar perspectives. Amid an ongoing reframing of what it means to be “Chinese”, examining language ideologies in Hong Kong contributes to our understanding of how national and linguistic categories achieve or reframe their social meanings.

Exploring the nexus of variables in English-medium instruction research: a comprehensive global meta-analysis

ABSTRACT The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis of English-medium instruction (EMI) literature, addressing the significant gap in quantitative evaluations within existing research. By analysing 47 empirical studies employing statistical methods, this research aims to uncover broader trends and correlations within EMI data. Specifically, the study investigates correlations for various factors, such as measurement outcomes and academic subjects. It also examines the influence of different research methodologies on reported correlation coefficients, assessing how methodological choices shape observed relationships in EMI studies. Key findings reveal that perceived academic performance and perceived English language proficiency exhibit the highest effect sizes, underscoring the importance of students' perceptions in EMI success. Conversely, actual academic performance, actual English language proficiency, motivation, and affective factors show small correlations, highlighting areas for pedagogical improvement. Self-efficacy demonstrates a medium correlation, indicating its significant role. Computer Science stands out with the highest effect size, suggesting discipline-specific variations in EMI effectiveness. Different measurement tools, including questionnaires and standardised tests, generally show small correlations, indicating a need for more refined assessment instruments in future EMI research. This meta-analysis provides crucial insights for enhancing EMI implementation and assessment, contributing to the broader discourse on educational strategies in multilingual settings.

(Re)countering multilingualism and refugee-background students in Australian compulsory education

Compared with nations around the world, Australia has one of the highest rates of refugee resettlement per capita. Approximately 40 per cent of newly arrived refugees in Australia in 2018–19 were under the age of 18 and close to 90 per cent spoke a language other than English. Given that education is compulsory until the age of 16 in most states and territories of Australia, young people labelled as refugee-background students (RBSs) are tasked with navigating the English-only education system, in which their multilingualism is often viewed as a barrier; however, there are increasing calls for research to focus on the positive, affirmative practices of RBSs through a strengths-based approach in education, to counter a ‘damage-centred’ and deficit discourse. Thus, this article presents a systematic literature review of studies conducted in Australia with RBSs between 2010 and 2022. Specifically, this review explores the strengths-based multilingual practices of RBSs in compulsory education in Australia. Inspired by RefugeeCrit theory, we seek to highlight strengths-based examples of RBSs multilingual practices as examples of counter-narratives to the prevailing deficit discourse, while remaining attentive to issues of trauma, agency and multilingualism.

Linguistic analysis of gender stereotypes in the language of mass media

The aim of the research is a detailed analysis of language structures that spread and reproduce gender stereotypes in the field of mass media. The study employed the methods of analysis of language means of gender-oriented text, linguistic analysis of gender markers, comparative analysis for studying gendered vocabulary. Standard statistical methods and Cronbach’s alpha were also used. The use of linguistic means of gender-oriented text in English media discourse can vary depending on different factors such as genre, format, and target audience. For example, gender stereotypes are often used more frequently in news articles than in literary texts. This tendency is determined by the fact that news usually focus on specific events or problems, rather than on the persons involved. In the context of the media, gender stereotypes caused by an attempt to attach events a clear context and explanation, which can lead to greater use of gender distinctions. In contrast, the authors of fiction texts use more creativity and the opportunity to avoid stereotypes regarding gender roles. Further research may cover various aspects of gender equality, in particular, representation of different gender identities and the interaction between them in the linguistic space.

Necessary and sufficient conditions for social science undergraduates’ academic success in English medium instruction settings: a crisp set qualitative comparative analysis

ABSTRACT Previous research has examined the impact of various factors on the academic success of undergraduate students in English Medium Instruction (EMI) environments, with the aim of improving students’ academic outcomes. However, clarity regarding the necessity and sufficiency of these factors for EMI academic success remains elusive, limiting a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon. This study used crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA) to analyse data from 16 empirical studies that investigated factors influencing the academic success of social science undergraduate students in EMI settings, using the EMI Academic Success (EMIAS) model. The findings revealed that English language proficiency emerged as a necessary and sufficient condition for EMI academic success, while students’ characteristics appeared to be a sufficient but not necessary condition. In addition, three causal configurations leading to EMI academic success were identified among four condition variables – English language proficiency, students’ characteristics, educational background, and English language support. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the determinants of EMI academic success and highlights the importance of students’ English language proficiency and their characteristics in the context of EMI.

E-Module Development Assisted By a Professional Flip PDF Application on Virus Material

This research aims to develop an e-module assisted by the Flip PDF Professional application on the topic of viruses, assess its validity, and assess its practicality. Adopting the development model by Borg & Gall, the study goes through seven stages: potential and problems, data collection, product planning, design validation, design revision, product testing, and product revision. Data were collected through questionnaires given to subject matter experts and media experts to test validity, as well as assessment responses from teachers and students to test the practicality of the e-module. The research findings indicate that the e-module has been developed for use as teaching materials and learning media in high schools. The product's validity from the assessment by subject matter experts is 95.67% and by media experts is 96.06% both categorized as "very valid". Assessment of the product's practicality also yields very positive results, with a percentage of teacher responses at 92.00% and student responses at 89.07%, both categorized as "very practical". This product is highly suitable for use as teaching materials and learning media for biology.Key words: e-module, flip pdf professional, teaching material, viruses

English-Medium Instruction in Japan: experience and its implementation in internationalization of agricultural higher education in Uzbekistan

Abstract EMI has been described as the most significant trend in educational internationalization’ (Chapple, 2015) and as an ‘unstoppable train’, from which EMI educators must ensure students alight safely at their destination (Macaro et al., 2018). Many studies have been conducted to explain and find out what is the best experience to implement in internationalization of Higher Education (HE). However, while literature covers a wide variety of theories, this study focused on two non-Anglophone countries` experiences. Japan is one of the non-Anglophone countries where the internationalization of universities is growing rapidly due to the successful implementation of EMI programs. However, most universities in Asia face numerous challenges in realizing globalization of higher education, especially those in the early stages of transitioning to English teaching programs. Tashkent State Agrarian University (TSAU) in Uzbekistan is one of them. TSAU, established in 1930, prepares agriculture specialists not only for Uzbekistan but also for neighboring countries. In Uzbekistan, not many studies are done related to the internationalization of agricultural tertiary education. To reduce the challenges faced by students and content teachers on their EMI journeys, we must first understand the language-related challenges that many students and teachers experience in the process. This study attempts to investigate the early challenges faced by Japanese universities in transitioning to EMI courses and what aspects of the Japanese EMI experience would be suitable to apply in higher education in Uzbekistan. Moreover, the study will focus on how consensus should be obtained in collaboration between English language and content teachers. The role of English language teachers in the successful implementation of the EMI program is immense and irreplaceable. The findings are based on a literature review of Japanese universities` strategies in the implementation of the EMI program. To address the study questions, a questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data by asking content lecturers the identical 30 questions on 5-point Likert scales with choices ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree". In the questionnaire, participated content lecturers from TSAU, Akita University and Tokyo University of Technology and Agriculture (TUAT), English language teachers from TSAU and some 1st-year and 2nd-year undergraduate students from all three universities who enrolled in the EMI program also showed interest in participation in research. Findings are expected to be introduced to the department of "Languages" and shared with content lecturers who are involved in the EMI program at TSAU and serve as a source for future research.

Critical English medium instruction: problematising neocolonial language dominance

ABSTRACT English medium instruction (EMI) and critical language education are both relatively established areas of education and scholarship. While the booming trends of EMI have generally foregrounded the technical aspects of instruction and the related linguistic challenges, the ongoing development of EMI theory, research, policy, and practice can be further integrated with critical views. Although a stream of EMI research based on critical perspectives does already exist, there is still a considerable place for more serious critical engagements in this area. Therefore, in this paper we argue for the development of ‘Critical EMI’ praxis that embraces criticality in an explicit, inclusive, and coherent manner. Considering that EMI is a still emerging phenomenon in many contexts, we argue that this is the right time for endeavouring to help it grow as a sociopolitically sensitive area in essence while it is developing roots. We highlight issues of ideology, policy, identity, social justice, and the politics of English as five essential aspects of criticality in Critical EMI and further discuss some of the insights that it can offer in encountering the neocolonial spread and dominance of English.