English Medium Instruction Classrooms Research Articles

A Review of English-medium Instruction in South Korean High Education

The implementation of English-medium instruction (EMI) has encountered challenges and difficulties at all levels of education and diversity around the world, particularly in high education. To gain a broader sense of the EMI implementation environment, this study, taking existing EMI studies in South Korean universities as its reference, examined the following questions: (1) What are the contents of the Korean HE EMI classroom? (2) What are Korean HE EMI classrooms like? (3) What are the attitudes towards EMI from the research? Based on an analysis of 40 empirical studies from 2008 to 2020, the results show that the contents are mainly in engineering-related majors crossing different academic years; the South Korean EMI classroom is challenging in the following three main binary relations: lecturing vs. verbal participation/interactive activities, students' higher vs. lower English proficiency, and achievements in English proficiency vs. content knowledge, which are also the universal challenges in the EFL EMI environment; and the attitudes, perceptions, and motivations of both students and professors were positive in general. This paper expects to provide references for future EFL EMI studies in different environments.

Impact of teacher collaboration on teachers’ practices and classroom interaction in EMI in higher education

In English medium instruction (EMI) contexts, students often encounter difficulties when learning content knowledge through their second/foreign/additional language (L2). Teacher collaboration (TC) between content and language specialists has been regarded as a potential approach to facilitating student learning in these contexts, since during collaboration, teachers can become more language aware and subsequently better integrate content and language teaching. While previous research has revealed the impact of TC on student learning, little attention has been paid to how it may affect teachers’ instructional practices and classroom interaction. To fill this research gap, this quasi-experimental study invited a drama course instructor and a language instructor at a Chinese university to collaborate to revise the course objectives and instructional activities. The drama instructor then used the revised materials with the experimental class (25 students) while practising her normal content-oriented teaching in the control class (25 students). Data were collected with lesson observations and recordings in the two classes, as well as semi-structured interviews with the two teachers and selected students. Drawing on the notion of language-related episodes (LREs), this study reported the differences in classroom interaction patterns between the two classes. The findings show that through collaboration with the language teacher, the drama instructor incorporated more LREs in different aspects, especially in vocabulary and text structure, in the experimental class than in her control class. These findings yield pedagogical implications for TC and for promoting classroom interaction in the EMI classroom.

From monologue to dialogue

Interaction undoubtedly is key to learning in higher education. It is particularly relevant in an English medium instruction (EMI) setting when students use a foreign language for learning as it provides important opportunities for the negotiation of meaning. In this article, we present and critically discuss EMI teacher training interventions in Switzerland designed to encourage dialogic interaction in the EMI classroom. EMI teacher training interventions, in the case of this study, rely on the EMI teaching competence reference framework outlined in Studer (2018). Through observations, (self-)assessments and surveys, teachers are assessed against four levels of attention to language in their classes, ranging from a focus on mutual comprehension to dialogue and the formal integration of language into the content of their classes. The paper shows that many EMI teachers tend to be more concerned with basic language and monologic competence, while sidelining dialogic competence. The paper will also show that the mental switch required to move the focus from ‘stage performance’ and self-awareness to authentic dialogue represents a significant challenge for our training programmes.

Understanding knowledge construction in a Chinese university EMI classroom: A translanguaging perspective

Recently interest has been burgeoning in exploring translanguaging as a powerful pedagogical approach to facilitating teaching and learning in various English-medium-instruction (EMI) contexts. However, how knowledge is constructed and communicated through language and other semiotic recourses in mainland Chinese university EMI classrooms has not gained sufficient attention. To enrich and extend research on this topic, this case study examined how translanguaging was enacted and contributed to knowledge construction in a naturally occurring Electronic Business EMI classroom in a mainland Chinese university classroom. Two teachers and their students (N = 36) were involved and data were collected through lesson observations and video-stimulated-recall-interviews. Findings show that teachers' monologic lectures featured four translanguaging practices, namely, cross-language labelling, recapping, code-mixing, and resorting to multimodal resources, whereas in teacher-student interactions, reformulation in English as the L2, code-mixing, and spontaneous use of the L1 were identified. Translanguaging was found to contribute to knowledge construction through operating common as well as distinctive pedagogical, cognitive and social-affective functions in the two discursive activities. The implications for designing and appropriating situated and fine-tuned university EMI translanguaging pedagogy and for EMI teachers’ professional development are then discussed.

Teaching and Learning of Mathematics through CLIL, CBI, or EMI—A Systematic Literature Review

This study provides a systematic literature review of research in the field of teaching and learning mathematics through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Content-Based Instruction (CBI), and English Medium Instruction (EMI). The review aims to examine the most relevant literature with a focus on mathematics and CLIL, CBI, or EMI in Scopus and Web of Science per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. Based on 151 sources, 52 papers were selected according to predefined selection criteria. The papers were analysed and coded according to the following categories: (1) geographical productivity, (2) diachronic productivity growth, (3) main objectives, (4) methodology, and research design, (5) variables and measurement instruments, (6) context and sample details, and (7) main findings. The results reveal that most of the research analysed has been carried out in the Asian continent, followed by Europe. The analysis of diachronic productivity shows that the study of the application of CLIL, CBI, and EMI programs in the teaching-learning process of mathematics has notably increased in recent years, especially in the last triennium (2020–2022). Regarding the objectives of the selected corpus, the majority aimed at teaching practices and learning processes, and outcomes in mathematics and language proficiency in CLIL, CBI, and/or EMI classrooms. The corpus analysed fits within one or more of the following categories: empirical, qualitative, descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional. The samples utilized in different studies differ significantly, both in terms of quantity –ranging from one person to 700– and in the educational level being studied, which would be primary, secondary, or tertiary education. The main variables studied in the corpus focus on mathematical competence, language proficiency, teaching practices, teacher training, science competence, and teachers’ perceptions. The most widely used instruments have been objective tests, such as questionnaires, together with standardized tests to measure some aspects related to mathematical competence and language proficiency. They are followed by an analysis of documents (academic records, teaching materials, official documents...), participant or non-participant observation, interviews, and video and audio recordings. In summary, in the scientific literature analysed, a positive or neutral view predominates on the effects of the CLIL, CBI, and EMI approaches on the learning of mathematics and the L2. This can be due to methodological issues fundamentally related to the methodology, research design, sample, and measurement instruments. Thus, we must highlight that some of the results from the selected papers must be interpreted with caution. Taking this factor into consideration, further comparative studies on a wider scale are required to examine thoroughly the effects of CLIL, CBI, and EMI on the teaching and learning of mathematics in an L2. Besides, it is important to study in greater depth the different levels of language acquisition since the research analysed shows that these have not been sufficiently addressed in the mathematical field of knowledge.

How Do EMI Lecturers’ Translanguaging Perceptions Translate into Their Practice? A Multi-Case Study of Three Chinese Tertiary EMI Classes

Translanguaging is discussed widely in the literature as a new pedagogical tool for English-medium instruction (EMI) that can challenge monolingual assumptions, mitigate English language barriers, and advocate for the full use of linguistic resources in meaning making. Different EMI lecturers have been found to hold diverse translanguaging perceptions and have adopted a variety of its functions. However, more needs to be known to close the knowledge gap between how each lecturer envisions and practices their translanguaging pedagogies, if any. Employing a qualitative method using data from semi-structured interviews and classroom observation, this study investigated three Chinese tertiary EMI engineering lecturers’ translanguaging perceptions and practices. Taken together, these three cases illustrate the complex relationship between translanguaging perceptions and practices according to their interactional (e.g., students’ difficulties in understanding full EMI), socio-cultural (e.g., the socially constructed value of full EMI), and personal factors (e.g., EMI teaching experiences). We propose that the negotiation among these three domains can promote or withhold the transfer of translanguaging perceptions into practice. We use our findings to call for EMI training programs to encourage lecturers’ reflections regarding what languages are or can be used in EMI classrooms and how and why from socio-cultural, personal, and interactional perspectives.

Students’ attitudes toward language learning and use in English-medium instruction (EMI) environments: a mixed methods study

ABSTRACT Informed by a mixed methods research design, the study investigates the interrelations between students’ attitudes toward English learning, English-medium instruction (EMI), and the use of their first language (i.e. code-switching) in relation to a range of biographic and contextual factors in their situated EMI programmes. The quantitative analysis revealed a positive correlation between students’ language learning attitudes and EMI attitudes due to their strong instrumental and integrative orientation, while the qualitative results further demonstrated the socialising effects of EMI which strengthened the students’ positive attitudes and motivation. Additionally, correlated with their instrumental orientation toward EMI, code-switching was deemed highly necessary by the students, but it would need to be carefully planned and implemented together with other instructional strategies and resources to promote effective content learning. Despite the varying attitudes among the students from different backgrounds, the current ideology and discourse surrounding EMI (e.g. linking EMI with academic success and career prospects) might counteract the influences of other personal and contextual factors and sustain the students’ positive attitudes. The study concludes with practical implications for EMI teachers and curriculum designers on how to create an effective EMI classroom with reference to students’ multiple and dynamic language attitudes.

The role of translingual peer involvement in resolving understanding troubles in the English medium of instruction classroom

The internationalization of educational settings has been increasingly leading to wider recognition of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education institutions, and a growing number of studies have investigated EMI policies of universities with diverse research foci. However, only little attention has been paid to classroom interactional dynamics with a particular focus on actual teaching/learning practices, and an examination of translanguaging as a pedagogical resource in multilingual learning environments has not been an exception. Although previous studies have explored lecturers' translanguaging practices in EMI classrooms, students' translingual contributions seems terra incognita. In this regard, using multimodal Conversation Analysis, this study closely examines translingual peer involvement through students’ multilingual and multimodal repertoires that become observable while resolving troubles in understanding. Based on the video-recorded classroom interactions in an undergraduate program on Mathematics and Science Education at a state EMI university in Türkiye, the current study demonstrates how students actively participate in ongoing interactions to resolve understanding troubles. The findings show how translingual peer involvement emerges across English and Turkish languages, and an invented language, and creates space for the lecturer to enhance learner contributions. The study brings new insights into EMI classroom discourse in an emerging context.

Listening strategies in the English Medium Instruction (EMI) classroom: How students comprehend the teacher input

This study takes a rarely employed learner's angle in examining how students are learning in the English Medium Instruction (EMI) classroom. Particularly, the study tapped into students' listening strategy use when comprehending the teacher input, a context that is underexplored for strategy research and yet highly important because teacher input predominates in the EMI classroom. An EMI class of Grade 11 Biology in Hong Kong was recruited. Through lesson observations and stimulated recall interviews with a purposively selected sample of eight students, a taxonomy of listening strategies in EMI was constructed. The taxonomy reveals the uniqueness of listening to the teacher in EMI context due to the non-existence of planning and prediction strategies, the identification of novel strategies, and the classification of content-mediated and language-mediated cognitive strategies. Factoring in students' linguistic knowledge and Biology achievement, the findings indicated the usefulness for students to deploy a range of language-mediated, content-mediated and metacognitive strategies in combination. This paper ends with implications for future research and pedagogy in order to make EMI learning and teaching more successful.

‘EMI is like a durian’: Chinese students’ perspectives on an ideal English-medium instruction classroom in higher education

This paper reports a qualitative study of what constitutes an ideal EMI classroom from the perspective of university students. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 26 university students from various disciplines at a large public university in China. The analysis reveals three core themes, which were perceived to be integral to an ideal EMI classroom: 1) an integration between content, language, and learning strategies, 2) a process-oriented course design permeated with a translanguaging approach, and 3) moving beyond specific EMI classrooms with a future and community orientation. This paper argues that EMI needs to be approached as a full educational experience with multiple dimensions (i.e. cognitive, social, and affective), through which, students gradually build up their professional knowledge and disciplinary literacy as well as foster their sense of belonging and direction in their situated subject field.

Foreign Language Anxiety and English Medium Instruction Classrooms: an Introduction

Foreign Language Anxiety and English Medium Instruction Classrooms: an Introduction

The Role of the L1 in EMI classroom practices

English-medium instruction (EMI) affects lecturers’ classroom practices as they face a new teaching scenario where language(s) can be used to construct lecturers’ identities. Therefore, lecturers can take up different identities because their language-choice acts depend on their communicative and identification purposes. Employing Membership-Categorisation Analysis (MCA) to examine classroom interaction, this paper examines the classroom practices of one EMI lecturer to explore how the orientation towards one language over the others implies a specific function associated with a particular identity. The alternation between languages reveals to what extent EMI lecturers accept or challenge the English-only policy and how lecturers position themselves as English-only or as translanguaging lecturers. This study documents lecturer’s teaching behaviour, particularly how L1-choice acts can be more effective for certain purposes. Studying how lecturers draw from both their EMI-lecturer identity and their L1-lecturer identity, this paper shows how multilingual practices unfold in EMI and highlights the pedagogical value of the L1, hence advocating that the use of languages other than English has, after all, a particular purpose.

Problematizing Fluent Speakers’ Unintentional Exclusion of Emergent Bilinguals

In English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms in Japan, less proficient English speakers are often marginalized, positioned as powerless, and quiet (e.g., Iino, 2019). This situation is problematic for inequitable access to activity and the possible consequences for their identity and emotional wellbeing. However, few studies have examined how exclusion is co- constructed in such a context. This study addresses that lack, illustrating how exclusion is co- constructed by shedding light on the microlevel social interactions in an EMI classroom. In the study, observation notes, students’ weekly journals, and interview data were gathered. The findings show that fast-paced interactions and some gestures made the emergent bilinguals hesitant to participate in the discussions. Also, a mismatch of expectations from both the emergent bilinguals and the fluent speakers suggested that the exclusion was unintentional. An analysis of the findings underscores how social interactions, if not sensitive enough towards less proficient speakers, may cause unintentional exclusion and inflict emotional harm in the classroom.

Local teachers’ English-German codeswitching in English-medium instruction (EMI): voices from international students at a German university

ABSTRACT International students’ attitudes towards teachers’ codeswitching to the first language (L1) have not been adequately investigated in cross-cultural English-medium instruction (EMI) settings, where teachers and international students do not share the same L1 while they interact in English as a lingua franca (ELF). To fill that void, this study investigated international postgraduate students from differing majors at a German university that has implemented EMI to enhance its global competitiveness. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were employed to measure the international students’ attitudes towards German-native teachers’ English-German codeswitching practices in EMI classrooms. The findings indicated that the participants generally held a negative view of codeswitching in EMI. Humanities students were more opposed to English-German codeswitching than STEM students. Local teachers’ codeswitching was found to constrain the participants’ academic integration and social participation in the university. Importantly, the participants were somewhat open-minded about codeswitching, but effective content delivery and an inclusive instructional space cannot be sacrificed. The findings of international students’ multifaceted understandings of languages offer insights into teaching pedagogies, discipline-specific language policies and administrative support for EMI programmes.

Exclusive use of the second language in classroom interaction in English Medium Instruction science classrooms: the beliefs of students and their monolingual teachers

Previous research on English Medium Instruction classrooms has almost exclusively documented the interaction between a teacher and students where the teacher is able to understand and use the first language (L1) of the students. We present data obtained from science classrooms in English-medium-instruction (EMI) high-school programs in China where the teacher had almost no L1 proficiency and therefore spoke only English in class. The beliefs of both teachers and students were elicited with regard to L2-only English use in classroom interaction through questionnaire and post-lesson interviews with references to lesson observations. Two hundred and thirty-one questionnaires were collected, together with 60 interviews with students and teachers following 30 lesson observations. Our findings suggest that teachers divided into three categories of beliefs: virtual position, maximal position, and optimal position (already identified in previous literature), but that students tended to prefer a classroom environment in which some L1 was permitted, or even encouraged, in order to facilitate their understanding of complex science constructs. With increasing teacher mobility and a growing demand of EMI education worldwide, pedagogical suggestions are made to EMI programs with monolingual teachers.

‘English-only’ English medium instruction: Mixed views in Thai and Vietnamese higher education

Emerging from the growing body of work on English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education are challenges to policy implementation, particularly when it is implemented top-down without a careful needs analysis or when it fails to address problems associated with ‘English-only’ implementation and so-called ‘native speaker’ norms. Our study responds to this need by exploring the role of English in EMI classrooms. We draw on data collected from 17 universities in Thailand and Vietnam using questionnaires with 1,377 students, 83 teachers of English for academic purposes (EAP), and 148 content teachers, as well as interviews with 35 students, 31 EAP teachers, and 28 content teachers. We also draw on data from 14 focus groups with teachers and students at seven universities in Vietnam. Findings reveal differences in attitudes amongst stakeholders and highlight that the L1 in EMI classrooms in Thailand and Vietnam, albeit used sparingly, is a useful pedagogical tool. Overall, however, participants preferred native-accented teachers with experience abroad, and English-only instruction. This study calls for more research into raising awareness of Global Englishes and translanguaging practices to challenge such attitudes, university language policies, and teacher recruitment practices that seem to reflect native-speakerism and discourage bilingual instruction or L1 use in EMI classes.

International students’ perceptions of multilingual English-medium instruction classrooms: a case study in Taiwan

Abstract Many English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms in non-Anglophone countries adopt a multilingual stance, using English alongside the host country’s local language(s). However, the perceptions of such multilingual practices held by students remain under-researched. Given many Asian countries’ current drives to internationalize and diversify their student bodies, a clear understanding of international students’ perspectives on multilingual EMI classrooms is long overdue. Through semi-structured interviews with international students from developing countries and the theoretical lens of language ideologies, this study investigates their perceptions of multilingual EMI classrooms in Taiwan. Most expressed a belief that their multilingual EMI classrooms, saturated with non-standard varieties of English, were not a legitimate pathway to acquiring their desired linguistic capital, i.e., standard English. These findings differ sharply from those of previous research, which has painted international students as holding positive attitudes towards English as a lingua franca (ELF). Moreover, the participants resisted the English-Mandarin translanguaging practices in their classrooms. As such, the findings highlight the need to understand the language ideologies of international students in Asia. Further investigation of learner resistance to multilingual EMI practices should also be conducted, with the wider aim of helping advanced English-language learners from developing countries accept different English accents, and accommodate ELF communication.

Motivations to enrol in EMI programmes in China: an exploratory study

Abstract A recent interest in English Medium Instruction (EMI) has led to the flourishing of studies that examine motivation in EMI classrooms. Some of these studies tend to compare language learning motivation of students who are and are not enrolled in EMI programmes (see e.g. Doiz, Aintzane, David Lasagabaster & Juan Manuel Sierra. 2014. CLIL and motivation: The effect of individual and contextual variables. The Language Learning Journal 42(2). 209–224; Sylvén, Liss Kerstin & Amy S. Thompson. 2015. Language learning motivation and CLIL: Is there a connection? Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education 3(1). 28–50), showing that EMI learners are typically more motivated than their peers in non-EMI contexts. This has led to the common perception that learners enrol in EMI primarily to improve their English. Yet, there is a dearth of comprehensive studies exploring learners’ reasons behind their enrolment in EMI programmes and how these change throughout their studies. To address this gap, 247 university students from a range of universities across China filled in the questionnaire, which included scales pertaining to reasons for choosing an EMI programme. The data were analysed in SPSS. The results show that enhanced future job opportunities, opportunities for contact with an international community as well as potential gains in learning content and language specific vocabulary are the most strongly endorsed drivers that motivate EMI students to undertake their studies in English. They also tend to pursue their ideal visions of themselves as bilingual professionals and derive pleasure from EMI classes. To a lesser extent, students are motivated by what is expected of them and the actual pedagogy in the language classroom. Their motivation tends to stay stable over their years of study. However, the survey also revealed that not all students are equally motivated and resolved to continue with EMI studies. The findings highlight that, whereas students tend to be strongly motivated, there is a potential to improve the delivery of EMI courses.

Positioning Theory for English-Medium Instruction (EMI) praxis: Insights and implications for teaching and research

Developed as a socio-constructivist theory with the aim of understanding discursive construction of selves, Positioning Theory has been applied to the analysis of conversations and narratives across disciplines. This paper provides an overview of Positioning Theory developed by Rom Harré and his colleagues and describes the basic concepts and principles of the theory. By illustrating how it has been applied to studies in contexts that involve English language learners or teachers, the paper identifies ways that Positioning Theory may positively impact classroom practice and outlines areas for further research that EMI classroom practitioners can carry out. A number of practical guidelines for conducting positioning analysis are also offered.

English Medium Instruction, English‐Enhanced Instruction, or English without Instruction: The Affordances and Constraints of Linguistically Responsive Practices in the Higher Education Classroom

AbstractThe promotion of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has been a widely adopted institutional response to the forces of globalization in the 21st century. However, while EMI has received much enthusiasm in policy discourse, little research has been conducted to explore whether it effectively addresses the new demands of an increasingly multilingual student body. To fill this gap, in this study I draw on extensive literature on linguistically responsive instruction (LRI) to examine: 1) the practices that are linguistically responsive in higher education EMI classrooms, and 2) the affordances and constraints of such practices. The data for this study – taken from a larger research project that looked into different instructional outcomes of EMI – show that approaches to LRI were manifested in three main ways: technical, facilitative, and sociocultural. To illustrate what these labels mean, a close‐up look into three classroom profiles and interviews conducted with the lecturers of each of these classes are provided. Importantly, the multiple approaches to LRI pointed toward a common concern that centered on students’ English proficiency. While LRI may have helped resolve immediate comprehension issues and low participation in classroom interactions, the increased attention to language in content courses posed a potential threat to the teaching of the subject discipline. This study, therefore, argues that aside from equipping individual lecturers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be linguistically responsive, introducing wider structural changes is also necessary so that different student needs (e.g., linguistic, cultural, academic) can be more sustainably supported.