Journal of English-Medium Instruction - Current Issue

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.

English-medium instruction (EMI) typically requires disciplinary instructors to deliver content in a language other than their students’ and their own first language. While this practice is growing alongside related approaches (e.g., content and language integrated learning) EMI is distinct in that the primary objective is teaching the disciplinary content, with English merely playing an instrumental role. This has implications for how lecturers view their role in EMI classrooms and how this is enacted through their teaching and marking practices. The present study examines instructors’ beliefs about EMI instruction in a context where EMI has long been adopted but only minimally researched: Lebanon. Sixty-three instructors from two Lebanese universities were surveyed about their experiences teaching EMI, their views about the role of language, and their marking practices. Eight instructors were further interviewed to elaborate on these responses. Findings reveal that the majority of the surveyed instructors recognise that teaching English is at least part of their role as content instructors whereas the interviewed instructors distanced themselves from this dual-focused responsibility, despite reporting several examples of teaching English alongside the content. These findings highlight the ambiguity around instructors’ role(s) in EMI classrooms and raises the need for greater definition and clarity to ensure that EMI’s full potential is reached.

English-medium instruction (EMI) potentially offers pedagogical efficiency by simultaneously providing access to academic content and English affordances. EMI’s efficacy and effectiveness, however, remain unproven with questions concerning students’ language proficiency unresolved. As listening to lectures holds a central role in tertiary education and the development of language skills is founded on second-language listening ability, key concerns for stakeholders are knowing how much of an EMI lecture students can understand and what factors impact their lecture listening comprehension. Current methodologies used to capture listening comprehension data, such as tests, surveys, summaries, and transcript markings do not capture the idiosyncratic, volatile, and multifaceted reactions to aural text phenomena that learners encounter during a lecture. This study, therefore, uses an innovative foot switch mechanism to capture comprehension data in real time as students participated in an EMI lecture. These data were then used to guide a stimulated recall. The data showed learners failing to comprehend extensive sections of the lecture while deeper analysis identified sections of the lecture where issues concerning prior taught knowledge, top-down schema building, lexical, and bottom-up identification of sounds coincided for multiple learners. Extrapolating from these points of convergence, pedagogical recommendations are provided.

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.

English-medium instruction (EMI) research increasingly reports on students’ language-related challenges and a lack of academic and language support classes, collaboration between content and language teachers and overall teacher training. Our study explores EMI in Japan and China, two contexts where EMI has been referred to as emerging but is now “surging.” In these contexts, EMI is closely linked to English language proficiency goals, yet research on supporting students remains scarce. Data were collected via interviews and focus groups with students, English teachers and content teachers, who provided insights into approaches to EMI policy implementation, stakeholders’ attitudes, and the need for English for specific purposes (ESP) and English for specific academic purposes (ESAP). The results provide much needed insights for evidence-informed EMI policy implementation, curriculum development and teacher training. The study also provides insights into institutional infrastructure conducive to EMI policy, with findings revealing ESP needs of EMI students and the training needs of teaching staff. The study presented in this paper furthers the work that has been conducted in Anglophone settings on the complexity of ELT practitioner roles. The results also provide directions for future research.