English-medium Instruction Courses Research Articles

Teaching note-taking in EMI: an experimental study in Economics and Business Administration

Abstract Learning to take effective notes is particularly difficult for non-English-native university students enrolled on English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses. However, time and cost constraints mean that many universities provide no support in English for academic purposes or academic skills. One solution to this problem would be to work closely with subject lecturers to develop training that can be delivered within the framework of the EMI content courses themselves. We developed a pilot programme for training students to take effective notes in English and applied it within the context of a first-year content course in Economics and Business Administration at a Spanish university. The students improved on several measures from the pre-test to the post-test, and provided positive feedback. They particularly appreciated learning how to build outlines, simplify information, and use abbreviations and symbols. Questionnaire responses indicated that they had found the training useful and appreciated the possibilities for direct application of the new skills acquired in their other EMI courses. Further research on how to train students in academic language competences within the ecologically valid setting of the EMI classroom itself could include support with subject-focused academic writing and speaking skills.

University students’ use of language learning strategies in English-medium instruction classes

Abstract The last twenty years have seen dramatic growth in the provision of English-medium instruction (EMI) courses at universities. On such courses, many students learn academic content through a language other than their first language (L1). This often poses significant language-related challenges to students which can impede content learning. To cope with the linguistic challenges, students sometimes employ language learning strategies (LLS). However, despite the rapid growth in the provision of EMI, little research has been conducted into LLS use in an EMI context. This systematized review examines 36 relevant studies. The findings show that over time EMI students modify their strategic behavior as they become more aware of the strategies which meet their learning needs. Furthermore, learners gradually use more content-related strategies as they progress through their EMI courses. Although strategy deployment is generally self-directed, the findings indicate that LLS instruction can benefit learners. Therefore, it is recommended that EMI courses be supported by embedded EAP courses which provide strategy instruction alongside the teaching of discipline-specific vocabulary and discourse practices. The review also raises questions about the role of students’ L1 in EMI. By shedding light on existing studies in the field, the review highlights opportunities for future research.

Assessing the impact of pre-lecture reading compliance on lecture comprehension in English-medium instruction courses

This study explores the relationship between pre-lecture reading compliance and lecture comprehension in English-medium instruction (EMI) settings. The primary objective of the research was to investigate the influence of pre-lecture reading compliance on English lecture comprehension, with a secondary aim of identifying factors influencing pre-lecture reading compliance. Data were collected from 258 Taiwanese EMI students in 17 courses. A PLS-SEM model utilizing data from 249 participants evaluated the impact of pre-lecture reading compliance on lecture comprehension, accounting for English listening ability, and examined the role of reading expectancy and value in reading compliance. Additionally, open-ended responses from all 258 participants provided insights into students’ perspectives on factors affecting their reading compliance. Results indicate that academic listening ability had a large effect on lecture comprehension whereas the effect for reading compliance was small. Moreover, academic reading expectancy and value were identified as having only a small effect on pre-lecture reading compliance. Further consideration of EMI reading compliance among EMI instructors and researchers is recommended.

Enhancing EMI pedagogical curricula to prepare pre‐service English teachers for socioculturally diverse classrooms

AbstractWith the rise of English as a global academic lingua franca, the implementation of English medium instruction (EMI) in South Korea's higher education system has grown substantially. This mixed‐methods study contributes to the scholarship on EMI policy and practice by drawing on data from the training experiences and self‐assessment of 327 pre‐service English teachers (PSETs) regarding their preparation to serve as secondary English teachers, the latter being key to high school students’ achievement in higher education. We examine teachers’ English competencies and explore their challenges and associated needs in implementing EMI for their professional success. Our quantitative analysis shows that, for PSETs, English‐speaking skills are the most challenging aspect of learning and teaching English. Moreover, current opportunities to improve their English proficiency through EMI courses appear to be inadequate. Subsequent analysis shows that English proficiency serves as a significant mediator of the association between EMI satisfaction and self‐efficacy about teaching English through English. Our qualitative analysis further confirms that PSETs have less exposure than expected to language‐related resources in their educational context, and they express a need for greater knowledge of student well‐being and linguistic and cultural diversity. We provide a set of recommendations to enhance the quality of EMI policies and curricula, including offering tailored language modules to develop well‐qualified secondary English teachers.

Predictors of English Medium Instruction academic success in Vietnamese Higher Education

Abstract Recent research has investigated predictors of English Medium Instruction (EMI) academic success in Higher Education in various contexts; however, mixed findings have been reported, and empirical research in emerging contexts like Vietnam is relatively scarce. In addition, little is known about the associations between tertiary EMI outcome, gender, and high school performance. To fill these research gaps, the present study was conducted to explore the roles of gender, high school grades, English language proficiency and vocabulary knowledge (both receptive and productive knowledge) in Vietnamese tertiary EMI academic achievement. To this end, 78 Vietnamese undergraduates majoring in business studies participated in the study. The participants took the Vocabulary Levels Test (Schmitt et al. 2001) and Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (Laufer and Nation 1999) to measure their receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. Their English language proficiency test scores, EMI course grades, and high school grade point average (GPA) were also collected for data analysis. Simple linear regression analyses revealed that high school GPA, English language proficiency together with both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge significantly predicted EMI academic outcome while gender did not. The results are discussed with implications for EMI in Higher Education.

Reflections on the Design of English-Medium Instruction Courses in Nursing

In line with the Taiwan government's 2030 bilingual national policy, nursing education must emphasize the importance of enhancing English proficiency, developing international competitiveness, and fostering global literacy. English is used as the medium of instruction (EMI) in nursing education with the main goal of conveying professional knowledge and skills through effective communication and linguistic awareness. The achievement of this goal may be enhanced by the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and software to assist teachers and students improve their linguistic awareness. EMI curricula provide to students of different nationalities opportunities to learn and appreciate multicultural perspectives, allowing them to practice respect for different cultural perspectives, cooperate in international learning environments, and build global competence.

The Role of Goal Orientations and Communication Strategies in Willingness to Communicate in EMI Classrooms

Background: In English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms, goal orientations, strategies, and communication play pivotal roles in facilitating effective learning. Achievement goal orientations (AGOs) guide and control learner competence-relevant behavior in academic performance. Communication strategies (CSs) are communication aids for learners to cope with problems or breakdowns while speaking the target language. Strategic competence is an indispensable affective-cognitive factor that promotes learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in a target language.
 Purpose: This study aims to investigate the role of AGOs and CSs in predicting WTC and the effect of English proficiency on AGOs and CSs in EMI classrooms.
 Methods: An online questionnaire survey regarding the perception of AGOs, CSs, and WTC was conducted with 595 university students taking one EMI course in social science and humanity domains in Taiwan. The items were on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’. Hierarchical multiple regression was adopted to predict WTC in EMI classrooms. One-way between-group MANOVAs were adopted to examine the individual and joint effect of English proficiency on the AGOs and CSs.
 Results: The hierarchical multiple regression model showed that task goal orientations and social affective strategies strongly and positively predicted the university students’ WTC in the EMI classroom. Performance-avoidance goal orientations and message reduction and alteration strategies were found to negatively predict WTC in EMI settings. Students’ English proficiency neither predicted their WTC nor affected their AGOs in the EMI classroom. High-proficiency students adopted accuracy-oriented, fluency-oriented, and negotiation for meaning while speaking strategies more frequently than low-proficiency students.
 Conclusion: It is suggested that a supportive and dynamic classroom environment with higher-order learning tasks involving cooperation, reflection, and objective assessment criteria can be incorporated into EMI programs. Besides, instruction in CSs and the use of multimedia teaching aids can facilitate EFL learners’ comprehension of subject-specific materials and encourage them to engage more in EMI classrooms.

Addressing Language and Study Skills Challenges in Online Undergraduate EMI Courses

English-medium instruction (EMI) is taking hold within higher education in non-Anglophone settings, but there is insufficient research into the challenges students encounter when taking EMI courses online. This exploratory quantitative study conducted in Hong Kong examines the language and studying challenges faced by undergraduate students when in-person classes were suspended due to COVID-19. One hundred thirteen first- and second-year students completed a questionnaire, rating their perceived challenges in the areas of writing, speaking, reading, listening, and study skills. The results showed that they faced particular challenges with reading and study skills (especially self-motivation), as well as vocabulary range, which affected more than one skill. Corroborating existing research, students with less secondary school EMI experience reported greater challenges. As providing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses is a primary way to support the language skills of students in EMI settings, we offer guidance to EAP practitioners who seek to help their students overcome the challenges identified in this article. As online technology continues to deliver content in tertiary education, EAP courses must be closely aligned with the language and study skills needs of students in digital EMI environments.

Lecturers' readiness for EMI in Malaysia higher education.

The current study aims to examine lecturer readiness for English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher educational institutions and the contextual influences of gender, age, academic qualification, teaching experience, EMI course teaching involvement, and EMI training. A quantitative research design was employed, and a survey questionnaire was completed by 227 lecturers (out of 250 invited participants) from private universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia to gauge self-ratings of personal knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes in educating EMI courses. The collected data were subsequently analysed via the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 software before revealing the findings from the inferential statistics of the t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on lecturers' gender, age, academic qualification, teaching experience, EMI course teaching involvement, and EMI training. Resultantly, the important role of lecturers' knowledge, understanding, skills, abilities, and attitudes was highlighted to further enhance intercultural communicative competence in managing the increasingly diversified student body in EMI classrooms.

To impart knowledge or to adhere to policy: Unpacking language ideologies and practices in Chinese EMI courses through a translanguaging lens

Due to the internationalization and marketization of higher education and the increasing prevalence of English as a global language, higher education institutions worldwide have implemented English medium instruction (EMI) courses, highlighting the necessity to examine how languages are chosen and practised in EMI courses. With a mixed-method triangulation approach, this study collected data through classroom observation, questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews in order to investigate teachers’ and students’ language choices and practices in EMI classrooms at a Chinese university. The questionnaire results showed that although the respondents slightly preferred English-only practice, they found it difficult to implement it and would resort to translanguaging practices, confirming an inconsistency between language ideologies and language practices. The observation findings revealed the adoption of translanguaging for meaning comprehension, terminology explanation and translation of local elements, while interview findings revealed three types of student participants, i.e. believers, sceptics, and inbetweeners, towards translanguaging practice in EMI courses. In contrast, most of the teachers held a favourable stance towards the English-only practice in EMI courses. While the participants all regarded translanguaging practices as facilitators for language and content learning, they believed that hierarchical relationships do not exist among languages. This study carries important implications to bridge the gap between language ideologies and language practices and call for attention to developing language practice from a multilingual perspective.

Lost in the EMI Trend: Language-Related Issues Emerging From EMI Practice

The prominent increase in English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has triggered the need for investigating EMI in practice in various contexts. Studies focusing on linguistic attitudes of EMI practitioners and learners are beginning to emerge but there are few studies exploring language-related issues in EMI practice. In response to this, this study investigates how language-related issues in EMI are conceptualized, approached and navigated. Data are drawn from document analysis, classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. The study finds that EMI courses were established without much presence of linguistic diversity and without an overt policy. Seemingly, EMI is treated as an invaluable commodity in the pursuit of internationalization. This puts the consistence and quality of EMI into question. It also finds that the practitioners have made polarized language decisions despite of an overall “English-only” preference. The polarized decisions lead to two modes of silence, namely “the English-only silence” and “the silence of English.” In addition, nativized Englishes were found to play in a key role in constructing EMI discourses, despite of a deeply-rooted belief in the Standard English ideology. This conflict between practice and perception reinforces the complexity of practitioners’ professional identity. Furthermore, it is also found that EMI, as an important way to pursue internationalization that celebrates heterogeneity, has a potential to circulate homogeneity. The findings are of significance for universities to (re)consider and (re)conceptualize language-related issues in EMI practice, and on the basis of this, design appropriate EMI curricula.

The Impacts of Foreign Language Anxiety on Students in English-Medium Instruction Classes in the Central Region Universities, Vietnam

This study investigates the anxiety frequency of students in English-medium instruction classes and its relationship with gender and English performance. The questionnaire was administered to 300 students in three universities in Central Vietnam. The follow-up interviews and classroom observations were conducted to obtain more insights into the research problems. The results revealed that the EMI students had moderate levels of anxiety. The most provoking causes of students’ anxiety were worries about making mistakes, inconfidence during speaking tasks and fears of negative judgment from peers and teachers. The analyses of the variables related to foreign language anxiety revealed a significant negative correlation between students’ foreign language anxiety levels and their English competence. No statistically significant relationship was found between male and female students. The study provides several pedagogical insights for curriculum designers, educators and teachers to improve the quality of English-medium instruction courses in the Vietnamese context.

Motivation, anxiety and classroom interaction in EMI

This article reports on empirical research examining the motivation and anxiety of 31 undergraduate students enrolled in English medium instruction (EMI) in two Spanish universities. Due to the scant literature on this topic in EMI, the article is intended to fill a research gap by analysing the interplay between classroom interaction, motivation and anxiety. The study aims to reach a better understanding of the driving forces to engage in English-taught programmes at tertiary level and assessing the extent to which motivation and anxiety affect such engagement. The investigation presents the results of an exploratory study screening students enrolled in the first and second years of several degrees –chemistry, computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering, and history. It took a qualitative approach, using focus groups to collect the data. The findings of the study underline the importance of students’ vision as speakers of English interacting fluently in all spheres of their future lives. The positive learning experience in EMI courses is backed by a general anxiety-free atmosphere, fostering student motivation and their engagement in classroom interaction.

Academic Success in English Medium Courses: Exploring Student Challenges, Opinions, Language Proficiency and L2 Use

The growth of English medium instruction (EMI) programs at universities worldwide has raised questions about the implications of teaching through L2 English on students’ content learning outcomes. This study examined the impact of four factors on students’ academic success (e.g. content learning) in the Turkish EMI context: (1) students’ language-related challenges; (2) students’ opinions about the effectiveness of EMI; (3) students’ perceived language proficiency levels; and (4) the amount of L2 English used in EMI classes. Students’ perceived academic performance was taken as a proxy of EMI success. The study employed a quantitative empirical design using questionnaires and regression analysis. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 498 students at an EMI university in Turkey. The results revealed that students’ language-related challenges and perceived language proficiency were the only predictors that were associated with academic success in their EMI courses at a statistically significant level. The amount of English used in the classroom was not found to predict success in EMI, suggesting that students may benefit from multilingual models of teaching. These findings underscore the importance of adequate language support for students on EMI programs, and implications are discussed with respect to EMI policy, program planning, and teacher pedagogy.

Exploring Chinese University Students’ Learning Strategy Use in English-Medium Instruction Courses

Exploring Chinese University Students’ Learning Strategy Use in English-Medium Instruction Courses

“Physically I was there, but my mind had gone somewhere else”: Probing the emotional side of English-medium instruction

Emotions are vital for one's thinking, acting, and experiencing of self and life. There has been substantial research undertaken on the role of emotions in teaching and learning in educational settings; however, the emotional dimension of English-medium instruction (EMI) has yet to be understood. Informed by a post-structuralist perspective, the present study seeks to address the dearth of scholarship in this area by investigating what emotions a group of mainland Chinese students experience and how they perceive and navigate such emotions in an EMI teacher education program at a Macau university. Data collected through narrative frames and follow-up interviews reveal complex and mixed emotions experienced by the participants in the EMI courses. Particularly, they were subject to high emotional labor caused by an unsystematic, ineffective approach to EMI implementation mediated by a corporatized discourse in higher education. The study ends with implications for EMI teachers and administrators in higher education.

A comparative study of Japanese and English medium instruction: the driving factors behind academic success

ABSTRACT This paper compares direct measures of content knowledge for students studying Chemistry through English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Japanese Medium Instruction (JMI). It also examines a range of contextual differences between the two mediums of instruction. A total of 53 undergraduate students undertook pre–post course content tests at a university in Japan. These measurable test outcomes were triangulated with data from semi-structured interviews with eight EMI and five JMI students and two content teachers as well as field notes from ten EMI and ten JMI lecture observations. While the quantitative results revealed no statistically significant differences in the post-test scores between the two courses, the qualitative data illuminated a huge range of context-dependent differences which shed light on possible explanations of this non-significant result. Findings revealed that while there were unique challenges only experienced by EMI students, many of the students navigated their EMI studies successfully through a combination of effective institutional and academic language support, teacher support and – not least – collaborative peer networks. This comparative study of an EMI and non-EMI course contributes to the currently limited research evidence on medium of instruction differences on content learning outcomes.

Academic language-related challenges, self-reported proficiency, and academic success at an EMI university in Brunei

ABSTRACT This article reports an empirical study that investigates academic language challenges faced by university students in an Outer Circle context with almost four decades of English-medium instruction (EMI) education . The study also examines the relationship between students’ reported language challenges and their perceived academic success in EMI courses, as well as their self-rated proficiency in English. Quantitative analyses on questionnaire data collected from 198 undergraduate students indicate that Bruneian students did not generally experience major language-related challenges in their EMI courses, although academic writing and speaking were at times problematic. Furthermore, language challenges were found to be significant predictors of students’ perceived academic success in EMI but their self-rated English proficiency was not, suggesting that students’ beliefs about their language abilities and competence were not applied to the academic context. Finally, some implications in relation to early exposure to EMI education, and enhancing the provision of language support through English for academic purposes courses, are discussed.

Problematising students’ agency in the internationalisation of higher education

ABSTRACT From a critical ecological linguistic perspective, this paper argues that South Korean English-language-policies are constraining students’ agency. Since the millennium, as a legacy of neoliberalism universities of non-English-first-language contexts have implemented EMI (English-Medium Instruction) courses top-down to further internationalise. Faced with a declining birth rate, South Korea has been no exception to this trend; nevertheless, this ‘dominant policy path’ has disregarded the linguistic challenges of students. These challenges are exacerbated by recent changes made to the English section of the University entrance examination which constrain students’ linguistic capital. Gidden’s Structuration Theory and Bourdieu’s notion of habitus are used to problematise South Korean university students’ agency within their structured-English-learning ecologies. In analysis, I use a constructivist approach enabling a theory of Situated Linguistic Capital to emerge. This theory conceptualises a dynamic between trust and linguistic capital which has been shaped by the past and which affects future affordances. Accounts of English educational experiences, collected from ten South Korean university students, are used to exemplify the theory. I conclude by arguing that conducting a needs analysis with students and EMI content instructors, to understand existing power relations, will encourage moves towards bottom-up, socially just directions in future South Korean English-language-policies. (198)

Experience of Japanese exchange students in EMI programmes: benefits and issues of translanguaging

ABSTRACT With the internationalisation of higher education, many universities in non-English-speaking countries have started offering English-medium instruction (EMI) courses. In Asia, in addition to the challenges caused by instructors and local students not being L1 speakers of English, the recent study-abroad trend has added more complexity to linguistic diversity in the classroom. This study investigates the experiences of three Japanese university students who took EMI courses in Taiwan and South Korea. Using a qualitative research method based on an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, the study explores the following research questions: (1) how do multilingual university students use translanguaging to conduct their academic learning in EMI courses? 2) how are multilingual exchange students perceived by their peers and instructors? 3) how do peers and instructors’ perceptions of exchange students affect their learning in their EMI courses? By applying the concepts of translanguaging and social categorisation to analyse the data, the study offers three main findings: (1) translanguaging is an essential tool for learning; (2) translanguaging is a potential cause for marginalisation; and (3) categorising exchange students can be a potential negative influence on students’ perceived success. Ideally, pedagogical translanguaging in EMI courses should involve careful consideration of students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds.