Section snippets

Background

The English medium instruction special interest group (EMI SIG) of BALEAP was established on 28 March 2024 upon the approval of the proposal submitted by Mustafa Akıncıoğlu (Founding Convenor and Treasurer) to the BALEAP Executive Committee.

Specialist area and rationale

The EMI SIG opts for Akıncıoğlu's (2023) definition of EMI (adopting Macaro & Akıncıoğlu, 2018) as the use of English, for example sole use, partial use and code switching, both by students and content teachers to learn/teach academic subjects other than English itself. This is within EMI settings regardless of their locale. In essence, this definition allows the fields of EAP and EMI to be seen in a symbiotic relation where they can both learn from each other and help each other's development

Aims of the EMI SIG

The EMI SIG aims to offer BALEAP's EAP expertise and experience to the field of EMI higher education with a focus on interdisciplinary teacher collaboration and enhancing the quality levels of students' academic content learning outcomes in those EMI programs. In so doing, the EMI SIG aims to present opportunities both for BALEAP members to gain higher levels of awareness of the concept of EMI HE, and for international universities to adopt the highest quality EAP expertise and quality

Abstract

Although the efficacy levels of interdisciplinary teacher collaboration attained at pre-university level are well documented, research in higher education contexts is still scarce. Macaro et al. (2016) earlier reported on a quasi-experimental intervention project conducted in Türkiye with an objective to promote collaboration between nine pairs of English language specialists and content teachers from four universities, and the analyses of the pre- and post-intervention interviews suggested that this sort of collaboration can be highly beneficial. This paper, however, puts the research tool, the Collaborative Planning Tool (CPT), into perspective by describing a learning-centred approach to research design as a way to better understand interdisciplinary teacher collaboration. By re-examining the extant research data (audio-recorded discussions of 72 collaborative planning sessions), this paper presents new findings (clustered under three emerging themes: use of the CPT; interplay between language and content; and the role of feedback in lesson planning), suggesting that the CPT can provide an effective framework for interdisciplinary teacher collaboration in EMI university settings. A discussion of the concept of quality in EMI is also presented.

Abstract

Although it has grown at an exponential rate globally, English medium instruction’s (EMI) conceptually problematic nature steered more confusion than clarity and consensus in the contexts of higher education (HE). In the field literature, the dominant paradigm pertains to descriptive statements rather than definitions and research seemed to reach a saturation point where a new vision is required that of problem solving. By employing a critical stance towards globalisation hence internationalisation and opting for a multilingual perspective, this conceptual paper presents arguments firstly on the concepts that are involved in the definition of EMI and then on EMI teacher training and EMI policy while keeping a focus on learning in EMI HE settings. In so doing, definitions for the concepts of EMI and EMI quality are provided as prospective reference points for HE stakeholders to adhere to during their EMI development practices. Concluding remarks on internationalization as being one of the motivations to implement EMI in HE settings and calls for research on critical EMI and EMI content teacher competencies are also provided.

Abstract

As English-medium education (EME) expands globally, this paper focuses on the need for a situated analysis of the contextual factors possibly influencing students' English language development at a private business university in Spain. Using the ROAD-MAPPING framework (Dafouz & Smit, 2016) as an analytical and theoretical model, the study highlights the sociolinguistic dynamics that can affect student English proficiency in such EME programmes. Focusing on two different cohorts (English-medium and Spanish-medium degree students), with varying levels of training in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), our analysis suggests that this private university's efforts to organise regular interdepartmental meetings between content lecturers and EAP professionals contributes to improvements in classroom practices and course syllabi relating to disciplinary language learning in English. Moreover, by viewing internationalisation as central to university life, and emphasising the importance of English to achieve it, the study shows how an international stance also shapes students' disciplinary language development. The active promotion of EAP programmes for the whole student population, irrespective of the language of instruction, underscores their crucial role in this private business university. Finally, the paper closes with suggestions for further research in the form of emerging questions using the ROAD-MAPPING framework.

Description

This skills-oriented handbook for English Medium Instruction (EMI) learners provides students with a toolbox of strategies and approaches to maximize their performance in their courses.

EMI learners are students who are studying an academic subject, other than English itself, through the medium of English. Through a series of carefully designed exercises and awareness-raising tasks showcased in this book, students can develop the skills and strategies they need to optimize their academic performance in the face of considerable academic and language challenges. This accessible text is full of strategies for students to use the English language they already have in order to engage more fully in their academic courses. They will become much more efficient at preparing for, performing in, and reflecting on their classes. The book covers preparing for classes (pre-flight activities); performing in classes (in-flight strategies); and reflecting on classes (after landing).

Grounded in the research of EMI teaching and learning and in extensive teacher-training within EMI, this is a valuable resource for any EMI student studying in a university across the world, as well as EMI teachers, EAP/ESP educators, and academic support staff who work with EMI learners.

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of L2 teacher educators in English-Medium Instruction (EMI) faculty development. Foregrounding the design and implementation of a Vygotskian-grounded certificate program for STEM faculty in Taiwan, the chapter offers evidence of the impact of program interventions on the reasoning and instructional practices of one focal faculty-participant, Dr. Fang. A genetic-analytic case study of Dr. Fang's development emphasizes how she took up various forms of concept-based and responsive program mediation to reconceptualize her EMI teaching practices toward an ideal of English as a Medium for Engagement/Learning (EME/L). Analysis of instructional coaching session data highlights the significant role of imagination-oriented mediation in supporting innovation in her teaching practices to create qualitatively new forms of student engagement and learning. More broadly, the chapter establishes the relevance of Vygotskian L2 teacher education praxis for EMI faculty development initiatives and emphasizes imagination as a catalyst for generating new pedagogical possibilities and concept-based instructional innovations.

Abstract

The burgeoning field of English Medium Instruction (EMI) has witnessed a significant increase in empirical studies yet remains largely insular and under-theorised. This special issue aims to address these gaps by spotlighting EMI in emerging contexts and interrogating its theoretical underpinnings. Comprising 10 empirical studies across diverse geographical and educational settings, this special issue, edited by Heath Rose, Samantha Curle, and Dogan Yuksel, offers a multifaceted examination of EMI's impact on language proficiency, academic achievement, and pedagogical practices. These studies contribute valuable insights into the complexities of implementing EMI. They also reveal a predominant focus on applied linguistics, often to the exclusion of other disciplinary perspectives. This editorial introduction critiques the current state of EMI research, calling for greater interdisciplinary collaboration and theorisation. It concludes with an urgent call for future research that is not only geographically diverse but also critically and theoretically robust. The overarching aim is to broaden the scope of EMI research, particularly in the face of the unrestricted Englishisation of global education systems.

ABSTRACT

This timely book will guide researchers on how to apply qualitative research methods to explore English-medium instruction (EMI) issues, such as classroom interactions, teachers’ and students’ perceptions on language and pedagogical challenges, and stakeholders’ views on the implementation of EMI.

Each chapter focuses on a specific type of qualitative research methodology, beginning with an overview of the research and the method used, before presenting a unique case study. Chapters will also identify the process that EMI researchers went through to conduct their research, the key dilemmas they faced, and focus particularly on the methodological issues they encountered. By exploring these issues and providing up-to-date insights in contexts across the globe, this book informs theory or the lack thereof, underlying research into the phenomenon of EMI.

This text will be indispensable for researchers who want to learn and acquire skills in conducting qualitative research in EMI, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students reading in the fields of applied linguistics and language education.

Description of the volume target reader

This edited volume provides up-to-date insights into appropriate Qualitative research methods to research EMI in contexts across the globe. This book is highly relevant to scholars in the field of educational linguistics, particularly in English language teaching, content-based instruction, content and language integrated learning, and EMI. It is also valuable for the key stakeholders affected by EMI: the teachers and students. EMI practitioners can refer to this book to get ideas of how they might conduct action research on their teaching in order to enhance teaching and learning. Furthermore, any examples of research instruments with annotated notes and explanations which showcase ways of employing different Qualitative methods and techniques in researching EMI will be particularly valuable to EMI researchers and instructors doing EMI professional development courses. Undergraduate or postgraduate students doing research in this field will also find practical use in this volume. Finally, education policymakers can gain insights into how to conduct research on the effectiveness of an EMI policy being implemented in their local context. Having methodological guidelines, is useful in commissioning research into policy implementation. This volume therefore caters to a diverse reader population.

Abstract

This systematic review investigates the current state of research on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and its implications for (EMI) Higher Education. The study employs a methodology based on an evidence-informed and theoretically credible framework to answer two research questions: (1) What studies of relevance to (EMI) Higher Education have been published thus far, considering the most recent developments of GenAI? and (2) Which key areas are currently lacking in extant literature and in need of further scholarly exploration in this regard in (EMI) Higher Education research? The results of the study reveal a limited number of pertinent publications, indicating a sparse scholarly landscape with a dearth of work on the implications of Generative AI in EMI Higher Education. Based on these findings, preliminary recommendations have been made to guide future research in this area. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the need for further research on the potential of GenAI to enhance the teaching and learning experience in (EMI) Higher Education and provides a theoretical framework to guide future research. These findings may inform researchers and educators interested in exploring how GenAI may be leveraged from different educational perspectives.

Abstract

The neoliberalisation of higher education (HE), which began in earnest about three decades ago, and the global spread of English, which began earlier, together have motivated an exponential increase in the number of universities worldwide offering English-medium instruction (EMI) as a key part of their internationalisation policies. EMI in HE is by now a much discussed and examined phenomenon; however, all too often research does not challenge certain assumptions about its existence. One assumption is that the introduction of EMI is an on-the-whole innocuous change in how HE courses are delivered, and that any negative side effects for the primary stakeholders, lecturers or students, are minimal. This paper takes a contrarian and critical view of EMI, highlighting its more problematic side. This is done to some extent through a short and selective discussion of relevant literature in the next section. However, the critique comes through most clearly in subsequent sections of the paper, in which interview data collected from an EMI lecturer at a university in Catalonia are examined. As will become clear, the perspective of this single informant, presented as a ‘telling case’ (Mitchell, John C. 1984. Typicality and the case study. In R. Ellen (ed.), Ethnographic research: A guide to general conduct, 237–241. London: Academic Press), is illuminating, as it highlights aspects of EMI that do not often appear in policy documents and research publications focussing on the topic.

About this book

From the perspective of translanguaging and instruction theories, this Open Access book examines Chinese English Medium Instruction (EMI) lecturers’ linguistic and pedagogical characteristics. This book demonstrate that ‘English’ in EMI is not a monolingual issue and EMI lecturers have applied their bilingual advantages to systematically and strategically advance their pedagogy practices through a translanguaging process.  

This book reflects upon EMI lecturers’ culture-imbedded teaching and learning philosophies and explores the implications of local classroom practices, such as topic-centered instruction and teacher presentation through demonstration. This book argues that EMI teaching is not an approach that can reach universal consent across linguistic, cultural and educational systems; it is an approach that is exclusively contextualised in the lecturers’ closely related cultural and educational system, and restricted by the available resources.

This is an open access book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-19904-2 

Abstract

The article responds to Wingate and Hakim’s paper, where they criticise English Medium Instruction (EMI) research for not drawing on research and practices from EAP. We concur that this cross-fertilisation of knowledge is beneficial for both fields but emphasise the breadth of the current EMI research agenda, which explores several issues beyond English language and academic preparedness. We also counter their claims of a lack of awareness by highlighting several examples of knowledge exchange, much of which has been driven by EMI scholars working within EAP contexts, and vice versa. Finally, we urge caution in recommendations to uncritically adopt EAP practices from Anglophone university settings into EMI settings, due to the complexities associated with EMI growth and provision, where the challenges raised are not necessarily identical. Overall, we agree with the authors that EAP and EMI have much to gain from each other in their shared endeavours and welcome their calls for future research collaboration.

Book description

This Element focuses on English-Medium instruction (EMI), an educational approach that is spreading widely and rapidly in higher education institutions throughout the world because it is regarded as a lynchpin of the internationalisation process. The main aim of the Element is to provide critical insights into EMI implementation and the results obtained so far in diverse university contexts. After defining EMI and analysing the rapid extension it has experienced, the volume tackles issues such as stakeholders' views on how EMI programmes are being implemented, the impact of teaching and learning both content and language in a foreign language, translanguaging practices in English-medium lectures, and how assessment has hitherto been addressed. Each section aims to bring to light new avenues for research. The Element wraps up with a description of the many challenges ahead.

ABSTRACT

The steady increase in content courses being taught through the medium of English in non-Anglophone countries has been matched by a rapidly growing output of research and commentary on the topic. There are also a number of providers now offering professional development for English Medium Instruction (EMI) teachers. We carried out a systematic investigation into who is undertaking the research in EMI, in which journals it is being published, and the background of tutors who are offering professional development courses. Our findings suggest that the EMI research and development field has been appropriated by academics with an applied linguistics background even though the majority of EMI programmes are taught by non-linguists. We question whether this situation is likely to lead to research which is most incisive and sufficiently broad in scope such that it will lead to the best development of practice. We put forward suggestions for alternatives.

Abstract

The role of English language teaching (ELT) in English-medium instruction (EMI) can vary widely depending on education policy objectives and teachers’ responses to EMI students’ language and learning needs. In this paper, we provide a narrative review of a growing number of studies reporting language-related challenges as the foremost barrier to successful implementation of EMI. Such research highlights the fundamental roles that English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Specific Purposes have in the provision of targeted language support for EMI students. Based on this review, we set a future research agenda, calling for explorations into the efficacy of English language programs for supporting EMI students to reach educational outcomes. We also call for explorations of greater collaboration between English language practitioners and content lecturers to ensure the right type of language support is being provided to students. The paper ends with a discussion for the need to reposition EAP as English for Specific Academic Purposes to ensure students’ specific academic needs are met. Essentially, universities offering EMI will need to account for their unique institutional characteristics to ensure ELT provision is central in organizational and curricular structures; otherwise, they may be setting their own students up to fail.

Book Description

In this special edited volume, the editors and invited English Medium Instruction (EMI) researchers, from different parts of the world, outline the latest EMI research methods. Providing academic instruction using English is rapidly spreading in many countries where English is a second or foreign language, and there is a growing interest in researching the effectiveness and effects of EMI across different educational levels. This volume includes chapters on everything from research into classroom interaction to teachers’ and students’ perceptions and motivations to language challenges and strategies and the pedagogical implications of translanguaging in EMI classrooms. These specific topics were chosen to reflect different approaches to researching EMI.

Each chapter focuses on a specific type of research methodology. It begins with an overview of the literature of the topic under discussion. Then an example study is provided to illustrate how this methodology can be used to investigate EMI. Each chapter identifies the process that the EMI researcher used to conduct their research and discusses key dilemmas they faced, focusing particularly on the methodological issues they encountered. By exploring these issues, this volume hopes to inform theory (or the lack thereof) underlying research into the phenomenon of EMI.

This volume is indispensable for EMI tutors, curriculum developers, policymakers, and teachers, as well as students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is particularly valuable for researchers from across the globe working in the fields of applied linguistics, language education, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English Language Teaching (ELT), and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Extract

The massive increase in the use of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in universities around the world has been accompanied by an ever-growing body of publications. The majority focus on EMI policies, teacher identities, and teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards EMI, whilst there seems to be little research into pedagogical approaches to language and literacy support for students as well as into practices in EMI teacher education, areas that are fundamental to the successful delivery of EMI. Recommendations come predominantly from conceptual papers (e.g. Dafouz, 2018, 2021; Galloway & Rose, 2021; Lasagabaster, 2018), and it is noticeable that some of these papers, in line with other EMI publications, rarely draw on English for Academic Purposes (EAP), a field that offers a rich set of theories and practices relating to student support and teacher education that are based on a decades-old research history.

Abstract

Growth in the provision of English medium instruction (EMI) has led to a significant increase in publications on EMI. Several publications claim that EMI is a young field that is still at the level of ‘infancy’ in areas such as language-related student support and teacher education. This raises the question why EMI appears not to draw on research and practices from English for academic purposes (EAP), a discipline with a longer history of enquiry into English-medium education. In this paper, we explore convergences between EMI and EAP in the areas of student support, collaboration between language teachers and subject teachers, and teacher education, and suggest some EAP theories and practices that EMI might usefully draw on. We conclude by stressing the need for cross-fertilization between EMI and EAP scholarship and for a joined research agenda that aims to produce more systematic empirical evidence of the benefits of discipline-specific academic language and literacy development.

Abstract

The use of English to teach content subjects has been a growing trend in many parts of the world. It is labelled in a variety of ways, such as content-based learning, content and language integrated learning, immersion education, theme-based language teaching, and bilingual education, but it is referred to in this paper as English-medium instruction (EMI). The expansion of EMI worldwide has resulted in many different forms of EMI, as well as some confusion as to how they differ. In addition, a number of different forms of EMI may occur in the same school or institution, area, or country. The different forms of EMI can be usefully classified in the form of a typology. A typology provides a basis for objective and quantifiable accounts of the characteristics of EMI in different situations. The present typology describes 51 features across 10 curriculum categories, which were identified when comparing different forms and realizations of EMI. It highlights the many different dimensions of EMI that are involved in describing, planning, or evaluating EMI.

Extract

At all times have language skills been key to academic education and scholarly publications at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and this is becoming more rather than less important. Just take the increasingly multicultural classroom at HEIs and the observation that undergraduate or graduate students can no longer be expected to have the required language skills in academic discourse. This applies to the relevant national language(s), notably concerning the level of academic writing, to the foreign language(s) relevant to their academic discipline, and to (academic) English. How then do, or should, HEIs and especially the member institutions of LERU react in this situation? What are their answers to the role of the national language(s) vis-à-vis foreign languages, especially English, in the classroom and in scientific discourse, in general, and to the need for quality assurance and enhancement concerning the teaching of foreign languages and the use of English as the medium of instruction for entire degree programmes? How, for example, is the non-academic staff (e.g. librarians, administrators) prepared for communicating with international students or scholars? And which support do international researchers and their families receive concerning the acquisition of the relevant national language?

In this Briefing Paper, these and other questions are explored and presented against the background of national and European discussions, projects, surveys, reports and advice papers on language policies and politics. The paper is based on a survey among the LERU member institutions conducted in 2017, with a special focus on official institutional language policies (ILPs). Ultimately, it is the formulation of such ILPs which this paper will advocate, sharing with its readers practical experiences and recommendations concerning important decisions and steps on the way towards the formulation of such documents, central aims and elements they should have, and crucial tools and mechanisms in their institutional implementation and monitoring.

ABSTRACT

The growth in academic subjects taught through English, in non-Anglophone countries (English medium instruction, EMI) has been matched by growth in research into its desirability. Research has also indicated that EMI teachers need professional development (PD) to teach effectively. Although PD programmes are available, there is no consensus as to the competencies needed of an EMI teacher, nor of their certification. Our international survey explored teacher perspectives on proposed competencies in relation to the language challenges faced by EMI students and whether teachers believe certification is desirable. Teachers were keen to obtain certification at an international level thereby providing an aspect of programme quality assurance. However, they saw obstacles to obtaining competences beyond merely a threshold level of their own general language proficiency.

Italy: Costa, F. & Mastellotto, L. (2022). The Role of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in Supporting the Linguistic Dimension in English-medium Instruction (EMI). CLIL Journal of Innovation and Research in Plurilingual and Pluricultural Education, 5(2), 37-52. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/clil.91 

Asia-Pacific: Fenton-Smith, B., Humphreys, P., & Walkinshaw, I. (Eds.). (2017). English medium instruction in higher education in Asia-Pacific. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51976-0 

Brasil: Pusey, K. (2020). Lessons Learned Piloting an EMI Support Course at a Southern Brazilian University. BELT - Brazilian English Language Teaching Journal, 11(2), e39470. https://doi.org/10.15448/2178-3640.2020.2.39470

Japan: Toh, G. (2016). English as medium of instruction in Japanese higher education: Presumption, mirage or bluff? Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39705-4