English-medium Instruction Courses Research Articles

Comprehension in English Medium Instruction (EMI) lectures: On the impact of lecturer L2 English use

Abstract The importance and amount of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) usage and English Medium Instruction (EMI) lectures continue to increase on university campuses as universities worldwide seek to promote internationalization among both the student body and the faculty. While EMI has become a priority, the teaching and learning that occurs within this framework needs to be monitored for effectiveness and efficiency. Many of the teachers and students in these EMI courses do not share a common first language and likely have a first language other than English. Therefore, they are operating in EMI with varying levels of second language (L2) English ability, which can lead to low levels of student comprehension, learning and satisfaction unless the lecturer takes special care in their delivery of content. This paper explores the linguistic composition of EMI lectures in the Swedish context and reports survey findings of students’ self-reported levels of comprehension related to lecture content and their lecturer’s L2 English use. Three case studies are described and illustrate various linguistic factors that can contribute to or inhibit student comprehension in EMI lectures. Pedagogic implications are presented with the intention of supporting EMI lecturers and their students.

The role of graduate students’ learning strategies in reducing their English medium instruction avoidance: the mediation effect of language anxiety

ABSTRACT In Asia, in order to keep up with internationalization, the English-Medium Instruction (EMI) course has become a phenomenon in higher education. In turn, EMI literature has increasingly focused on the role of instructor’s pedagogy in reducing students’ negative response to EMI courses. Additionally, we further explore, from the students’ perspective, whether students can reduce their anxiety about learning in English by adopting varied learning strategies while reducing their avoidance of EMI courses. A questionnaire survey was conducted in spring 2018; 208 postgraduate students from 15 different EMI courses in the School of Business Administration of a Taiwanese University participated in this study. We used partial least-squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to explore the relationship between learning strategies, English anxiety, and EMI avoidance, while regarding English proficiency as a controlled variable. The results indicate that English anxiety has a positive relationship to EMI avoidance; critical thinking has a negative relation to English anxiety; effort regulation has a negative relation to EMI avoidance, and English anxiety mediates the relationship between critical thinking and EMI avoidance. General principles are drawn from these findings and are discussed as they apply to the teaching of EMI classes.

Understanding the Learning Challenges of English-Medium Instruction Learners and Ways to Facilitate Their Learning: A Case Study of Taiwan Psychology Students’ Perspectives

English-medium instruction (EMI) has become a global education phenomenon in recent decades, especially in higher education. However, its implementation is still facing criticism. On the one hand, learners are welcoming the envisaged benefits of preparing them with professional content knowledge and English language proficiency to compete in the new global economy; on the other hand, they are reluctant to take the courses because of the challenges and difficulties EMI creates. Meanwhile, EMI lecturers are concerned about students’ inability to survive, or better still thrive through EMI learning. EMI lecturers are experts in their professional domain but are not trained or prepared to teach EMI courses yet. This qualitative study examines the perception of first-year undergraduate students taking the EMI foundation psychology course in Taiwan, focusing on their perspectives of factors facilitating or hindering their EMI learning, and their suggestions for improving the situation. The results not only point out what kinds of teaching practices contribute to challenges for EMI learners in their learning process but also the underlying reasons and the pedagogy practice that students suggest can be used to improve the situation. Insights provided by this study can be used to assist EMI lecturers in examining their pedagogical practice and expand their knowledgeability about pedagogy. They can also be used as a way forward for assisting in the development of EMI teacher training and professional development, and the implementation of EMI.

Experiences in the Practice of English Medium Instruction for Graduate Students

English Medium Instruction (EMI) is an ongoing graduates teaching reform program for domestic universities to accommodate the upcoming international enrollments and educations. Presented in this paper are my many years of experiences in the practice of the EMI of ‘Introduction to the Theory of Elasticity’ for the graduate students major in process equipment and control engineering at Zhengzhou University. These experiences involve the preparations for setting up the EMI course, making syllabus, selecting textbook, writing lesson plan, preparing for classes, class lecturing, homework and examinations. The purpose is to share them with all EMI colleagues, hoping to initiate a discussion on this topic, get responses from other colleagues, facilitate exchanges of teaching experiences, promote common improvements, and contribute to the extending and spreading of the EMI for graduate students in China.

Associations Between Perceived Self-Efficacy, Perceived Value, and Academic Achievement: Exploring a Gender Difference Within English-Medium Instruction

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between two subconstructs of motivation, perceived self-efficacy and perceived value and students’ academic achievement in an EMI context with special attention to students’ gender differences. While English-Medium Instruction (EMI) has been the subject of much interest, little is known about whether motivational subconstructs, students’ perceived self-efficacy and perceived value, have any connection to students’ academic achievement in an EMI environment. To investigate this issue, we looked closely at the effects of perceived self-efficacy and perceived value on 65 second- and third-year business school students’ academic achievement in EMI courses and also looked specifically at the relation between students’ gender and their perceived self-efficacy and perceived value. Controlling for individual and group-level characteristics, an OLS regression analysis showed that students’ perceived self-efficacy had a significant impact on their academic achievement. A further analysis found significantly higher perceived self-efficacy among the female students than among the male students. These findings provide tentative support for the claim that perceived self-efficacy can help to explain certain differences in academic achievement, with regard to gender.

Conceptualising global competence: situating cosmopolitan student identities within internationalising South Korean Universities

ABSTRACT Universities have increasingly pursued ‘world-class status’ and have prioritized internationalisation efforts. South Korean universities have accordingly invested billions of dollars in attracting foreign students and faculty, increasing English-medium instruction courses, and teaching curriculum related to global competence. This article applies a theory of cosmopolitanism to understand the relationship between global competence and student identity within internationalising South Korean universities. I argue that cosmopolitanism manifests in student identities at such universities in articulations that are contested and variegated. My findings suggest that cosmopolitanism demonstrates theoretical potential to conceptualise global competence in ways that overcome its critiques as Western-centric and elitist.

Exploring the role of self-efficacy beliefs and learner success in English medium instruction

ABSTRACT English medium instruction (EMI) is a growing phenomenon in higher education contexts across the globe, and EMI programs are expanding rapidly in Japan as part of their internationalization efforts. This paper explores the relationship between student self-beliefs and their success in an EMI course within a bilingual business program. It analyzed direct measures of content course and preparatory course performances, proficiency, and questionnaire data from 139 students completing an English-mediated International Business course at a university in Japan. These data were supplemented by interviews with seven students. Multiple linear regression analysis found L2 proficiency, preparatory course performance, and self-efficacy to predict success in the EMI course. Our qualitative findings support these results, indicating that students with stronger efficacy put forth more effort and see course activities as development opportunities. These findings highlight the need for efficacy development opportunities for students entering EMI study.

English medium instruction in China’s higher education: teachers’ perspectives of competencies, certification and professional development

ABSTRACTDespite the increasing popularity of English Medium Instruction (EMI) for academic subject teaching in China, there is little research regarding the competencies that an EMI teacher needs for effective EMI course delivery and professional development (PD) in the higher education (HE) context. No research has investigated how those can be recognised through certain kinds of certification. This study fills the gap by investigating teachers’ perspectives on competencies, certification and PD of EMI in relation to China through 133 survey returns and 12 semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that teachers have a generally positive attitude on EMI certification and PD programmes though few universities have made either a priority. Competencies required for effective EMI teaching include not only English proficiency and teaching skills through L2 but also skills of instruction in respective academic disciplines. This poses challenges for the design and implementation of EMI PD leading to teacher certification. The lack of official government involvement (at policy level) and institutional involvement (evaluation and faculty promotion) further complicates this issue in a country like China with a top-heavy bureaucracy.

Investigation and Exploration of ‘Student-Centered and Teacher-Led’ Teaching Model in English Medium Instruction (EMI) Calculus Course

The internationalization of higher education in China is constantly improving with an increasing level of diversification and globalization of education. High-level international English Medium Instruction (EMI) course is crucial to the cultivation of innovative international talents. Taking the Calculus course as an example, this article first demonstrates the importance and connotation of ‘know thy enemy and know yourself’ in the construction of EMI courses. Then it elaborates on the construction methods and significance of the ‘Leaning Community’, ‘Teaching Community’, and ‘Teaching-Learning Community’ through studies of the relationship between ‘teaching’ and ‘learning’ form the student-centered aspect. Such research provides a useful reference for the teaching model reform, especially the effective construction of EMI courses in non-native English-speaking countries.

Research on Effective Teaching Methods for English-medium Instruction Computer Networking Course

Chinese universities have been strongly supported by government to promote English-Medium Instruction (EMI) in the past two decades. While EMI is not simply translating lecture contents into English, the teaching methods should be adjusted accordingly. This study aims at seeking effective EMI teaching methods for engineering courses, taking the case of Computer Networking course in Shanghai Maritime University. Several computer-aided teaching methods have been practised, including interactive teaching with Rain Classroom, class demonstration with Wireshark and Packet Tracer, video review, online teaching resources, and hands-on projects. Based on our teaching experience, a 3-step interactive teaching routine was set up and practiced. The comparing result of three consecutive years’ final exam scores and labs scores show an overall improvement of the students’ learning outcomes. An online questionnaire was designed to investigate the students’ opinions on teaching contents and methods. The collected survey results and feedbacks show that most of the students approve of our EMI teaching methods. But there are up to 27.5% students who still consider EMI academic course is difficult. The cross comparative result of the online students’ survey reveals that the students’ previous EMI experience greatly affects their perceived level of difficulty. It should be very helpful to offer an introductory EMI course or an ESP (English for Special Purpose) course for the engineering freshmen to prepare them for the follow-up EMI academic courses.

영어 매체 교육에서 이공계 대학생들의 영어능력과 학업성취도 간의 관계

영어 매체 교육에서 이공계 대학생들의 영어능력과 학업성취도 간의 관계

English Medium Instruction (EMI) from the perspectives of students at a technical university in Turkey

ABSTRACTIn parallel with the spread of English as an international language of communication, English Medium Instruction (EMI) has rapidly gained importance in Turkish tertiary education but also brought some controversy among students and academics. It is important to clarify the prevailing situation in order to enhance the quality of instruction. Descriptive in essence, the present study examines the results of a survey about EMI courses in the context of a technical university conducted in 2018 to understand students’ attitudes towards EMI courses, the challenges they face and the suggestions they make for improvement. Although there are some positive aspects of EMI, such as getting ready for work life where English has become prevalent and the presence of a large number of resources and articles in English, there are also some possible challenges, such as linguistic challenges inherent in students’ language learning history, some lecturers having limited English proficiency and ineffective courses. Although it is deemed prestigious to offer EMI courses, some changes are necessary. Taking students’ views into consideration, some suggestions are providing intensive English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses to help students cross the linguistic barrier and equipping lecturers with the necessary skills before appointing them to EMI courses.

Roles of Vocabulary Knowledge for Success in English‐Medium Instruction: Self‐Perceptions and Academic Outcomes of Japanese Undergraduates

This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary knowledge (written and aural receptive vocabulary size and self‐rating of vocabulary knowledge) and self‐perceptions of four language skills (reading, listening, writing, speaking) targeting undergraduate students in English‐medium instruction (EMI) courses in Japan. The students’ academic performance (course grades and quiz scores) was also compared to their vocabulary knowledge. Results showed that learners with larger aural vocabulary sizes were more confident in spoken language use, and those who self‐rated higher on their vocabulary knowledge were more likely to perceive themselves as proficient in productive language skills. Interestingly, learners with larger written vocabulary sizes tended to perceive themselves as less proficient in performing EMI tasks. Results also showed that none of the vocabulary measures were significantly associated with academic outcomes. Interview data suggest that EMI students’ performance could be affected by the complex interplay of various factors, though not necessarily a large vocabulary size alone. Based on these findings, implications are discussed in terms of teaching and assessing vocabulary knowledge in EMI courses.

Constructing English-medium instruction indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan’s higher education

Purpose This paper aims to use an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and combine this with the fuzzy theory to identify key indicators influencing English-medium instruction (EMI) in the shipping courses of Taiwan’s higher education. Design/methodology/approach Based on a literature review and expert interviews, an evaluation model with 4 indicators and 13 sub-indicators was developed. Questionnaire samples included university English teachers (eight), university shipping teachers (nine) and shipping practitioners (eight). Findings Using 25 effective samples, the results found that “teachers’ characteristics” is the most important indicator, followed by “syllabus design”, “university resources” and “students’ characteristics”. Such a finding could provide valuable teaching and managerial strategies for EMI design in both university and industry sectors. Research limitations/implications Expert questionnaire targets have focused on university English teachers, university shipping teachers and shipping practitioners. Other related field experts could be further surveyed and compared in the future studies. Practical implications The findings of EMI indicators in the shipping courses could be used for course and material design by shipping companies, shipping authorities and universities. It is expected that these indicators could inform the provision of reasonable teaching resources allocation. Social implications This paper provides important guidance for designing EMI in shipping courses. Related stakeholders will be able to understand important concepts regarding designing EMI courses. Originality/value First, EMI indicators in the shipping courses have seldom been studied in the past. They are, however, important for both shipping industries and education intuitions. Second, as its method, this paper adopts decision analysis quantitative tool to complement previous qualitative studies regarding EMI studies.

Attitudes towards English Medium Instruction Courses among Second Language Learners in Relation to Learning Anxiety and Learning Achievement

The purpose of this paper was to examine second language learners’ attitudes towards English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses at University of Selangor (UNISEL) in Malaysia affectively, behaviorally and cognitively. This study also investigated students’ learning anxiety and students’ learning achievement towards EMI courses. This study employed ABC Model of Attitudes (1998) as guidelines to investigate learners’ attitudes towards EMI courses. 100-degree students form Faculty of Science and Information Technology (FSIT) participated in the study by completing a questionnaire of English Medium Instruction courses. A quantitative method was employed to analyze the collected data, performing statistical procedures of descriptive statistic and Pearson correlation using SPSS. The major findings of the study were as follows: (1) most participants demonstrated positive attitudes towards English medium Instruction courses affectively, behaviorally and cognitively, (2) there was no significant relationship between students’ learning anxiety and students’ learning achievement towards EMI courses. It was due to the ways lecturers delivering EMI courses to the students. This situation happened when the way their lecturers conducted the lesson in English medium setting might help the students reduce their learning anxiety of the lesson. In other words, the level of their anxiousness in learning EMI courses depends on how their lecturers deliver the subject during teaching and learning process. Finally, some pedagogical implications that would help tap the students’ attitudes and achievement were demonstrated.Keywords: English Medium Instruction, attitudes, learning anxiety, learning achievement

Integrating Intercultural Competence in ESP and EMI: From Theory to Practice

As internationalisation policies like English - medium Instruction (EMI) are increasingly implemented in European higher education, EMI and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classrooms become small international spaces where local students’ intercultural skil ls can be developed. I suggest that the internationalised higher education poses challenges also to non - mobile students, who find themselves in culturally diverse classrooms where English is used as the medium of instruction. The aim of this study is twofo ld. It first attempts to provide a research - based framework that accounts for the reasons why Intercultural Competence (IC) should become a learning outcome in ESP and EMI courses, with an emphasis on ESP. Second, it explores two ways in which this integra tion could take place drawing on Holmes & O’Neill ’s ethnographic model ( 2012). The seminar genre is proposed to showcase IC integration, as participation helps students practice their English skills and provides them with opportunities to develop disciplin ary knowledge while debating on a specific topic. In brief, this study suggests that both ESP and EMI courses have the potential of preparing students for a future professional career in a globalised world and that ESP lecturers, in particular, emerge as t he best prepared professionals for teaching intercultural skills.

English-medium instruction policies in China: internationalisation of higher education

ABSTRACTIn the twenty-first century, internationalisation of higher education (HE) has multiple dimensions – contents of curriculum, mobility of students and faculty, technology and programmes, which are all more or less related to English-medium instruction (EMI) policies. Like many other non-English-speaking countries, China’s EMI policies are crucial for its internationalisation of HE. What striking features do these policies have? And what challenges do they meet? Within Spolsky’s [(2004). Language Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) tripartite conceptual framework and utilising the data gathered via internet, interview and classroom observation, the paper is intended to examine China’s EMI policies in HE from three perspectives: language ideology, language management and language practice (LP). The study finds that China’s EMI policies are aiming at bidirectional internationalisation – for both outbound Chinese students and inbound international students. It also uncovers that the current main problems in China’s EMI policies do lie in LPs – limited EMI courses or programmes, and asymmetrical number of international degree students. The author argues that EMI policies should be developed together with disciplinary advancement and Chinese-medium instruction policies.

South Korean students' responses to English-medium instruction courses

We explored the underlying mechanism for South Korean university students' negative responses to English-medium instruction (EMI) courses. Specifically, English language anxiety and confidence, and EMI course attitudes and avoidance were analyzed using survey data from 187 Korean university students. Results showed that English language anxiety played a key role in both EMI course attitudes and avoidance, and also affected student achievement in EMI courses. Students' English language confidence and their perceptions of their instructors' English language competence were found to be unrelated to EMI course attitudes and avoidance, but were negatively related to English language anxiety. In addition, students' EMI course content understanding and grades did not directly influence EMI course avoidance, but did indirectly influence course avoidance through EMI course attitudes. Our results highlight the importance of addressing students' emotional challenges and attitudes to improve their motivation to take EMI courses.

English as a Medium of Instruction at Turkish State Universities

This paper reports a study that explores the role of English as a language of instruction (or English Medium Instruction (EMI)) in the Turkish higher education system problematizing it in Turkey in terms of the country’s possible inclusion in the European Union and globalization discourses as well as the possible exclusion of Turkish students who do not speak English. With that aim, a study was carried out to analyze the offer of EMI courses at the Turkish universities and the use of English in that context. Data were collected from the Turkish universities websites and the analyses show that there are more state than private universities in the country, most of which have websites in English whereas only 25% offer EMI courses and/or programs to attract international students. The discussion of the data addresses the use of English in the internationalization of higher education in relation to possible implications of offering EMI courses in that context.

Turkish lecturers’ views on the place of mother tongue in the teaching of content courses through English medium

One consequence of higher education institutions' efforts to internationalize themselves is the adoption of English medium instruction (EMI) in teaching. This is particularly the case in non-Anglophone countries. Although researchers have extensively canvassed the place of English in English as a foreign language (EFL) / English as a second language (ESL) in such countries, little has been researched on the place of mother tongue in EMI programmes. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the place of mother tongue in EMI courses. Data were garnered via interviews with EMI lecturers. The analyses indicate that lecturers are largely supportive of integration of Turkish into classes to varying degrees, and of letting students use it for certain purposes. Those against using Turkish in classes mainly underscore the presence of international students, and the institutional policy urging them to use English. The results offer practical implications for policy-makers and lecturers in terms of how they can adjust themselves to the current linguistic environment of their institutions.