English Medium Instruction Classrooms Research Articles

English- vs. Chinese-Medium Instruction in Chinese Higher Education: A Quasi-Experimental Comparison

Through a quasi-experimental approach, we compared Chinese college students’ learning motivation, content knowledge, English language proficiency, and instructor’s pedagogical practices between an English-medium instruction (EMI) and the parallel Chinese-medium instruction (CMI) course in a non-traditional discipline. Results indicated that EMI was more effective, as compared to CMI, in motivating students’ learning of the focal subject. More specifically, EMI students held a stronger external goal orientation than did their CMI peers. Further, EMI and CMI students performed on par in their final exam in the subject and English after one semester of participation, controlling for their prior performance. The finding suggested that EMI did not carry a detrimental effect on Chinese college students’ content area learning. Finally, observation revealed a significantly higher percentage of English language instruction focused on higher-order dense cognitive area in the EMI classroom where students were more engaged in their learning. Implications for policy and research were discussed regarding this educational approach for sustained and optimized student learning.

Speaking Anxiety and Strategy Use for Learning English as a Foreign Language in Full and Partial English‐Medium Instruction Contexts

In recent years, Taiwan and other East Asian countries have begun to promote English‐medium instruction (EMI) at the tertiary level. Communicating through English in EMI classrooms is a basic requirement for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, but it can be a challenge. Speaking a foreign language is a complex process that involves linguistic competence, speaking skills, and strategy use. Speaking strategies have been viewed as first aid devices used for interaction and communication, to address problems or breakdowns, and to remain active in communication. The purpose of this article is to investigate university students’ anxiety, strategy use, and difficulties when speaking English in full and partial EMI contexts. This research involved a large‐scale questionnaire survey of 638 students. The quantitative analyses were conducted through a multivariate analysis of variance, a hierarchical multiple regression, and chi‐square tests of independence. The results indicated that students receiving partial EMI exhibited high speech anxiety, a lack of confidence, and negative feelings toward English learning. Additionally, students in the partial EMI context were found to use rehearsal and paraphrasing strategies less frequently than those in full EMI contexts. Furthermore, a relationship was observed between the EMI context and difficulties in speaking reported by students.

A Case for A Dogme "Lite" EFL Teaching Approach in Kurdistan

This critical review looks at the present state of ESL/EFL activities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, with particular attention to the English speaking abilities of students enrolled in English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses in the region's 13 universities, and calls for the consideration of "Dogme" types of communicative language curricula. The critique, based in large part of a recent survey by the British Council, clearly shows that most college freshmen entering EMI classrooms are not adequately prepared to meet the challenges and rigor of studying in the English language. As a consequence, the paper offers a background about the theories and ideas of an alternative communicative language pedagogy known as Dogme. The critique reviews the ideas of Dogme founder Scott Thornbury and provides both a rationale and four-point plan about how a "Dogme Lite" type of curriculum may be introduced into the present English language curriculums used in public schools in the region.

Implementing English-medium instruction (EMI) in China: teachers’ practices and perceptions, and students’ learning motivation and needs

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on a classroom-based investigation into a tertiary English-medium instruction (EMI) programme in China, with a focus on subject teachers’ perceptions and practices in EMI and students’ motivation and needs in English learning. Given a lacuna in existing EMI research, it examined how EMI instruction was delivered by subject teachers and how English learning should be facilitated through adjunct ESP courses when participants’ English proficiency was inadequate. Data were obtained from nine classroom observations, three post-observation interviews and a questionnaire survey. Findings show that effective instruction was maintained via deploying pragmatic strategies, yet the goal of promoting English attainment was underachieved, as language teaching was not overtly heeded. Subject teachers’ perceptions of EMI undermined prospective students’ linguistic gains. The immediate educational context also contributed to students’ English learning motivation and needs. Our findings suggest increasing access to ESP provision that is fine-tuned to the language issues in genuine EMI classrooms is crucial. Collaboration between subject and language specialists is beneficial to students’ learning of both the subject knowledge and the language skills. ESP practitioners thus need to consider students’ communicative needs in their disciplines and address the limitations of the current EMI practices in tertiary education in China.

Emerging culture of English-medium instruction in Korea: experiences of Korean and international students

This study aims to contrastively examine Korean and international students' experiences of taking subject courses at a Korean university. Focusing on the viewpoints of the students, rather than central authorities, we attempt to reveal how language use and cultural factors are interpenetrated in the praxis of English-medium instruction (EMI). The data consist of questionnaire responses of 249 Koreans and 61 international students from non-English-speaking countries and qualitative interviews with 23 Korean and 9 international students. Korean participants were found to perceive the effect of English proficiency on achievement (ENG) to be significant, while their confidence in participating in activities in EMI (ACT) classes was the lowest. Whereas the international students did not relate ENG to other factors of EMI, Koreans perceived this factor to be relevant to all the aspects of EMI. During the interviews, international students, with a limited level of tolerance of Korean use, were found to experience frustration with the lack of interaction in their courses. We discuss the findings in terms of ownership of English and highlight how important it is for the Korean and international students to have a shared definition of the role of English as a lingua franca in an EMI classroom.