English-medium Instruction University Research Articles

African international students’ challenges, investment and identity development at a highly selective EMI university in Kazakhstan

This article documents the reflections of six African second-year master’s students on their international educational experiences in Kazakhstan with a special focus on their challenges, strategic learning efforts and identity development. It is guided by Norton’s conceptualisation of investment in identity, language learning, and social change. The qualitative data collected from a written narrative and two subsequent rounds of individual semi-structured interviews suggest that participants pursued their studies at an English-medium instruction university in Kazakhstan mainly because of the fully-funded scholarships. However, their expectations regarding the university and Kazakhstan were unclear, as they received no pre-departure orientation. Despite being satisfied with the high-quality education in the host institution, they faced challenges such as difficulty securing part-time work due to a lack of proficiency in local languages (Kazakh and Russian), enduring prolonged cold weather, and limited opportunities for socialising with other students. Most participants described Kazakhstan as ‘a peaceful and progressive country’; however, two participants experienced linguistic racism in the classroom. This study underlines the significance of addressing the issues of graduate employability and linguistic racism, along with implementing pedagogical interventions in all phases of study abroad and fostering a sense of intercultural citizenship among students.

An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study of Thai English as a foreign language students’ engagement with emergency online learning in an English medium instruction university

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students’ language learning engagement through various forms of technology has received great attention among educators across institutions worldwide. This mixed-methods study attempts to investigate Thai EFL students’ engagement in online English courses, created by an English medium instruction (EMI) University, during the pandemic. A closed-ended questionnaire surveyed 248 Thai EFL students’ engagement with their English course and of this cohort, 56 participants were selected randomly to participate in a semi-structured interview. The statistical results revealed that the average level of students’ engagement with online English courses was generally above average. Significant and positive correlations existed between the four key dimensions of skill, psychological, participation, and performance engagement. In the qualitative inquiry, results suggested a range of issues contributing to positive and negative experiences. These were mainly focused on content, presentation styles, and student involvement. Findings contribute to understanding key success variables in English learning via an online environment.

Digital multimodal composing pedagogy in a university writing course

Abstract Digital multimodal composing (DMC) allows students to mobilize a wide range of multimodal resources to make meaning. While studies in DMC tended to focus on language-learning contexts, few of them examine its use in content-based courses whereby students are proficient L2 users expected to demonstrate understanding of abstract concepts using DMC. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with English-major students who attended a writing course in an English-medium instruction university in Hong Kong, the study investigated how the students’ view of DMC was transformed after exposure to DMC pedagogy. The study findings suggest that students developed an increased awareness of the affordances and constraints of (new media) writing, and they strategically bring in and bridge ‘in-class’ and ‘out-of-class’ digital practices. Students also reported on the opportunities and challenges of DMC pedagogy through reflecting on their DMC experiences. The study proposes suggestions for implementing DMC in diverse teaching and learning contexts.

A longitudinal study on lecture listening difficulties and self-regulated learning strategies across different proficiency levels in EMI higher education

Abstract The absence of language admission thresholds in many English medium instruction (EMI) university programmes has led to marked heterogeneity in students’ English proficiency upon entry. These students may face diverse challenges when listening to academic lectures, adopt different strategies to cope, and undergo varying trajectories in listening over time. To unpack such complexities, this study adopts a longitudinal mixed-methods design, comprising questionnaire responses from 412 freshmen and semi-structured interviews with 34 students at the beginning, halfway, and end of their first semester studying at an EMI university in China. Students were divided into high, medium, and low proficiency cohorts based on their listening placement test scores. Multilevel modelling analyses highlight that students entering with lower proficiency reported sharper reductions in listening challenges over time. Interview findings also reveal that these students engaged in more industrious self-regulated listening practice outside of the classroom than their highly proficient peers. Regardless of disparities in students’ proficiency, all students developed a higher tolerance towards ‘non-native’ teacher accents and shifted attitudes towards handling disciplinary terminology. The findings offer pedagogical implications for supporting different groups of students’ needs for successful transitions into English-medium tertiary education.

Displays of co-constructed content knowledge using translanguaging in breakout and main sessions of online EMI classrooms

There is a growing research interest in the dynamics of English Medium Instruction (EMI) university classroom interactions in non-Anglophone contexts. In the present study, we track the procedural unfolding of content knowledge co-construction across multiple online activities in an online EMI university classroom. Using Multimodal Conversation Analysis to examine the screen recordings of an undergraduate course on Educational Sciences at a state EMI university in Türkiye, we show how translanguaging plays a central role in enabling the participants’ displays of content knowledge by deploying multilingual (English, Turkish, the focal EMI university jargon) and multimodal (i.e., coordinating verbal and multimodal materials on the screen) resources across four phases of the online class, namely (i) lecturer talk, (ii) pre-task, (iii) task engagement in breakout rooms, and (iv) sharing outputs in the main room. The study brings implications for higher education EMI classroom interactions by describing the multilingual, multifaceted, multimodal, and sequential organization of screen-recorded online environments.

English-medium instruction (EMI) as the great (un)equaliser: experiences of former EMI students in Turkey

ABSTRACT English-medium instruction (EMI) has gained traction in Turkey in recent decades. However, strict English proficiency requirements at EMI universities pose a problem for many students, whose English skills are much below the level required for EMI. These challenges cause some students to drop out of EMI and lead to an elite appropriation of EMI universities, thus perpetuating already existing inequities in Turkish higher education and society at large. However, little is known about barriers to EMI education. Understanding student experiences in this pipeline is important to shed light on how EMI contributes to social inequities. This study uses a Bourdieusian framework and a phenomenological design to explore the experiences of students who dropped out of a Turkish EMI university. Data were collected through 90-minute semi-structured interviews with five former EMI students. The results indicated that while the participants leveraged several forms of capital throughout their time at the focal EMI university, the mismatch between the capital possessed by the participants and that expected and endorsed by the EMI university alienated the participants, leading them to drop out eventually. The discussion includes implications for EMI policy and suggestions for context-driven EMI implementation.

The Role of L2 Grit and Foreign Language Enjoyment in Chinese EFL Learners' Willingness to Communicate at an EMI University

The effects of intrapersonal characteristics and environmental factors on students’ second language (L2) learning have been prevailing topics among researchers. Nevertheless, insufficient attention has been paid to the variable L2 grit, which is generally regarded as a positive trait predictive of academic success. Therefore, aiming to fill in the previous gap, this study illustrates a quantitative methods study that focuses on the following issues: (1) What are the correlations between L2 grit, foreign language enjoyment, and English-Medium Instruction (EMI) university students’ L2 WTC in the classroom? (2) How do L2 grit and foreign language enjoyment predict EMI university students’ L2 WTC in the classroom? Three adopted scales were used to collect the required data. After that, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were employed to further analyze the data. The results reveal that L2 grit does not serve as a predictive factor for students’ L2 WTC, while foreign language enjoyment can predict students’ L2 WTC positively to a significant extent. This research may contribute to second language learning and teaching by demonstrating the interrelationships among three essential academic achievement predictors.

Chinese EMI University Students’ Attitudes Towards the Implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in English Language Classes

With the rapid global growth of English usage, numerous institutions have been established in non-English speaking jurisdictions such as China to provide English medium instruction (EMI). Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), a language teaching methodology that emphasizes communicative functions, has increasingly been applied in English as foreign language (EFL) areas. Therefore, this research aims to investigate Chinese EMI university students' attitudes towards the effect of CLT implementation on English skills development, teachers' roles in CLT English classes, and factors influencing their study of English under the methodology of CLT. Through semi-structured interviews with five junior English major students at a Chinese EMI university located in southern China, this study reveals a generally positive attitude towards CLT. The participants believe that the implementation of CLT could enhance their English proficiency, particularly in listening and speaking skills. It is widely acknowledged that teachers play a crucial role as facilitators in CLT-based English classes. Additionally, this study reveals that both internal factors, such as increasing students’ sense of participation in class, and external factors, including a communicative learning environment, cooperative learning activities, peer pressure, the social media publicizing ideas of English language learning and so on, all have positive effect on participants’ English study.

Towards deeper learning in EMI lectures: the role of English proficiency and motivation in students’ deep processing of content knowledge

ABSTRACT Internationalisation trends in higher education have catalysed the rapid growth of English medium instruction (EMI). A central question in EMI research is whether students can process content knowledge in depth when it is taught through a language that they have limited proficiency in. Previous studies have primarily examined the impact of EMI on content learning products (e.g. academic grades) with few investigations into learning processes. The present study explores the extent to which students report using deep-level strategies (e.g. elaboration, organisation, and critical thinking) for processing content knowledge in EMI lectures, and whether such strategy use is related to students’ English listening proficiency and motivational beliefs. A mixed-methods design was used, collecting questionnaire responses from 316 students and conducting semi-structured interviews with a subsample of 35 students at an EMI university in China. The findings highlight students’ self-efficacy and intrinsic learning goals as stronger predictors of deep processing strategy use than listening proficiency. Low-proficiency students were found to engage in more laborious previewing than their highly proficient peers. Such previewing appeared to help them develop schemata for activating in-class deep processing of content. The study offers implications for programme designers and lecturers on scaffolding meaningful content learning in EMI settings.

English medium higher education in Hong Kong: linguistic challenges of local and non-local students

This research project involved a mixed-methods study investigating language-related challenges of first-year students at an English Medium Instruction (EMI) university in Hong Kong. The two-phased sequential study employed a questionnaire survey and semi-structured student interviews. The survey and interview findings indicate that first-year students face a number of language-related academic challenges during their first year at an EMI university in writing, reading, speaking, and listening, many of which appear to stem from lower levels of vocabulary knowledge in English, unfamiliarity with academic and technical terminology, and limited exposure to varieties of English. Additionally, the findings suggest that these challenges can vary significantly based on background and first language, relating specifically to three different demographic student groups: local Hong Kong Cantonese-speaking students, Putonghua-speaking mainland Chinese students, and non-Chinese speaking local and international students.

Understanding challenges, investment, and strategic language use of postgraduate students in an English-medium university in Kazakhstan

ABSTRACT This qualitative study documents six postgraduate Kazakh students’ challenges, language learning strategies (LLSs), and future vision while studying at a highly selective English medium instruction (EMI) university in Kazakhstan. It also aims to capture the influence of the participants’ past English learning experiences and contextual factors on their LLS deployment. The study found that all participants exhibited greater agency, using a host of appropriate LLSs to complete their master’s programmes successfully. However, the two participants who studied in schools for the gifted encountered fewer challenges than the other participants from mainstream schools after joining the EMI university. The former exercising their agency and their positive previous English language learning experiences enabled them to use diverse voluntary strategies to accomplish both personal and national goals. This study reveals how educational policy and distribution of enabling language learning resources in similar contexts can affect individuals’ LLS choices and use, and their identity improvement.

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.

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.

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.

Exploring Students’ Perceptions in Sustainable Disciplinary Language Learning in an English-Medium Instruction University: A Case Study of Hong Kong Veterinary Medical Students

University students are expected to develop the skills required for their disciplines, especially those who have learnt English as a foreign language and study at English-medium instruction (EMI) universities. This study investigates the disciplinary literacy needs of students of veterinary medicine. The data were collected using a large-scale survey (n = 122) of students and interviews with five practitioners of veterinary medicine. The findings show that the student vets were trained to carry out highly demanding duties during their clinical placements, such as reading medical case histories, making diagnoses, elaborating on treatment plans for their clients, and composing referrals and medical reports. However, they were exposed to a challenging EMI environment where the requirement to speak and write in English significantly hindered the effectiveness of their learning. A discrepancy in disciplinary tasks between school and the workplace was also revealed. Therefore, it is crucial that researchers and educators at veterinary schools address students’ learning challenges to ensure they have the effective English language skills (including reading, writing, and speaking) they need to meet the language demands of their future clinical work and an understanding of the academic genres of veterinary medicine. This study also showcases the types of multi-literacies (i.e., academic genres and communication skills) needed to fulfil certain clinical duties, and the pedagogical implications are discussed.

Understanding the perceived pedagogical value of JazzQuiz in interactive hybrid learning among university students: a technology acceptance analysis

ABSTRACT To address the problem of poor efficacy in hybrid learning in higher education, this study conducted a mix-method explanatory case study with structural equation modelling to examine a new construct, “perceived pedagogical value” (PPV), and its relationship with the core constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. This study recruited 246 undergraduate students from a year 2 computer science course at an English Medium Instruction University in China to investigate their perceptions of using JazzQuiz for interactive hybrid learning using an online survey and semi-structured interviews. One of the key findings suggests that students who have a deeper understanding of technology’s pedagogical value (i.e. higher PPV) are more likely to accept and use the technology with reduced efforts through five dimensions. Our contribution to the literature is threefold: (1) the new construct, PPV, extends our understanding of the UTAUT model for interactive hybrid learning; (2) the extended model highlights the role of student PPV in improving learning efficacy; (3) the five dimensions of how PPV influences technology acceptance, and student academic performance clarify the underlying mechanisms of effective interactive hybrid learning. Further studies are needed to test the new model in different contexts.

Do writing performance and examination grading correlate in an EMI university setting?

Abstract We studied German students’ academic writing skills in English at a Dutch university. Their performances are typical examples of English as a lingua franca (ELF) as these students are non-native users of English evaluated by subject lecturers who are non-native users as well. Our database is a corpus of written answers to an open examination question in the context of an EMI (English Medium Instruction) bachelor in psychology. We aimed to detect those characteristics in this specific type of discourse that may affect the comprehensibility of the students’ answers, which in turn may have consequences for their grading by the course lecturer. English language experts assigned Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels and commented on grammar, use of (academic) vocabulary, and text coherence. First, we correlated the grades assigned by the course lecturer and the CEFR levels. There was no correlation. Second, we analyzed the linguistic comments. We found that academic style was poorly present in this type of text. Importantly, we found no proof of communicative blockings or obstacles related to English proficiency levels between the student writer and the lecturer reader. We conclude that informed content interpretation based on contextual appropriateness of the answers overrules grammatical and lexical non-standard characteristics and outweighs the lack of semantic coherence.

Language use in an English-medium instruction university in Lebanon

Abstract English-medium instruction (EMI) universities in non-English-dominant contexts often use internationally available tests of English (e.g., TOEFL) and/or locally developed tests to assess the academic English-language proficiency of applicants prior to admission. However, little research has been conducted to establish the extent to which either type of test reflects the real-world classroom discourse, and associated communicative demands, within these often multilingual educational contexts. In this paper, we report on one part of a larger study designed to address this research gap in a particular EMI environment – the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon. We collected and analysed samples of language use at AUB through non-participant ethnographic observations and video recordings of eight undergraduate classes across academic disciplines. Findings indicated that classes were varied in nature, shifted between registers and levels of interaction, involved a range of translanguaging and English as a Lingua Franca-oriented phenomena, and included meta-commentary about language use. We argue that speaking and listening constructs in English-language admissions tests used in EMI contexts ideally need to be localised or locally developed to best match the unique language use characteristics of these settings.

A Study of the Relationship Between Students' Global Perspective and Willingness to Communicate in English at an English Medium Instruction University in China.

Few previous studies have investigated the relationship between global perspective (GP) and willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. Hence, more studies are needed to validate their correlation. Furthermore, hardly any pertaining studies have been conducted at English Medium Instruction (EMI) universities. As such, the current study aimed to fill these gaps in the context of an EMI university in China, by investigating whether GP correlates with second language (L2) WTC and what factors impact the two variables. Data were collected from students via an online questionnaire (n = 315) and follow-up interviews (n = 11). The questionnaire findings confirmed a moderate positive correlation between GP and L2 WTC. The interview data unraveled that several factors influenced students’ L2 WTC, including needs and motivations driving L2 WTC, concerns constraining L2 WTC, and intercultural cognition facilitating L2 WTC. These findings suggest that: (A) students could be more determined to practice their English if they realize the significance of the role of English in their life; (B) teachers could foster students’ WTC by creating a non-threatening English-speaking environment and encouraging students to communicate in English in and outside the classroom; and (C) teachers could educate students about GP and L2 WTC, which might help to expand students’ horizon and stimulate their interests in foreign cultures and global affairs, so as to facilitate the sustainable growth of their English learning.

Content lecturer and quality interaction in EMI university classrooms: a longitudinal case study

ABSTRACT While ‘interactive’ and ‘student-centered teaching’ are becoming buzzwords when promoting international English Medium Instruction (EMI) tertiary programmes in non-Anglophone countries, studies found that fewer lecturers possessed the competencies needed to teach content subjects interactively. This longitudinal case study looked beyond content lecturers’ language proficiency, instead, addressing their interactional competencies based on the framework of ‘Quality Interaction in Pedagogy’. The objectives were (1) to explore the interaction-related problems and behavioural triggers experienced by an untrained EMI lecturer of political science, and (2) to empirically assess the framework by observing classroom interactions before and after teacher training. The main participant was a non-native English-speaking lecturer (n = 1) teaching undergraduate students (n = 62) enrolled in three separate courses at Japanese universities. The study found that the framework was useful for measuring the effectiveness of classroom interactions after teacher training. The results also suggested that its systematic application done by extending Initiation-Response-Feedback sequences or broadening teacher language functions could enhance the quality of teacher-student interactions in tertiary contexts. These measures make a conceptually robust framework to help bridge applied linguists and content specialists on the issue of interactivity in EMI.