Predictors of English Medium Instruction academic success: English proficiency versus first language medium

System ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 102378
Author(s):  
Samantha Curle ◽  
Dogan Yuksel ◽  
Adem Soruç ◽  
Mehmet Altay
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
First Language ◽  
English Medium Instruction

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

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-91
Author(s):  
Joseph Siegel
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Student Body ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Student Comprehension ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe 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.

A longitudinal study at an English medium instruction university in Turkey: the interplay between English language improvement and academic success

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doğan Yuksel ◽  
Adem Soruç ◽  
Mehmet Altay ◽  
Samantha Curle
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Learning ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Academic Content

Abstract This article reports a quantitative empirical study that investigated whether English language proficiency increases over time when studying academic content through English Medium Instruction (EMI). It was also investigated whether an increase in proficiency predicts EMI academic achievement. Student English language test score data and Grade Point Average (GPA) data were collected from a public university in Turkey. Two academic subjects were compared: Business Administration (a Social Science subject, n = 81) and Mechatronics Engineering (a Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences subject, n = 84). Results showed that in both subjects, English language proficiency statistically significantly improved over a four-year period of studying through English. Furthermore, this improvement predicted EMI academic achievement; meaning that the more proficient students became in English, the higher they achieved in their EMI academic studies. This provides evidence for policymakers, EMI practitioners, and language professionals around the world that English does improve when studying academic content through English, and that this improvement has a positive effect on content learning outcomes. Implications of these findings, and suggestions for further research are discussed.

scholarly journals There is no Alternative! Student Perceptions of Learning in a Second Language in Lebanon

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Orr ◽  
Samer Annous
Keyword(s):  
Education Policy ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Linguistic Imperialism ◽  
Widespread Acceptance ◽  
Global Spread ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
State Schools

Since 1997, children in Lebanese state schools are taught most of the curriculum in English or French. The children’s first language, Arabic, may be used even less in private schools, which educate 70% of children. In many countries, mother tongue education is seen as a right but in Lebanon it is taken for granted that children are taught in English or French. Written opinions were collected from seventy-five university students who were asked about the language in education policy. The results of a thematic analysis were discussed with a focus group of eight students. Findings point to a widespread acceptance of the policy, partly based on an underlying belief in the unsuitability of Arabic for the 21st century and a perception that the Lebanese are culturally predisposed to learn languages. Using the concept of linguistic imperialism, we discuss these results with reference to French colonialism and the global spread of English medium instruction. We also use a critical definition of ideology to discuss how a discourse in favour of the language in education policy, which actually favours the interests of the Lebanese elite, has been internalised by the students who see emigration as their only future.

Phonemic Awareness and Literacy Development in Young English Learners With Non-Alphabet-Based Home Language

2018 ◽  
pp. 285-299
Author(s):  
Jenna Min Shim
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
First Language ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Literacy Acquisition ◽  
Education For All ◽  
Early Literacy Development

This chapter examines a widely accepted assumption that phonemic awareness is a precursor to early literacy development through a review of existing research studies in the field of phonemic awareness, early literacy acquisition and development and bilingual literacy acquisition and development. Based on a foundation that success in early literacy acquisition has a significant impact on students' later academic success, the author argues that unconditionally and uncritically accepting the view that phonemic awareness and literacy development are positively correlated can exclude many English learners (ELs) from learning opportunities and thus from later academic success. The author concludes that if educators are committed in providing equitable education for all students, we should not assume that all ELs have the same needs in early literacy acquisition instruction, and to do otherwise is to marginalize ELs especially the ones whose first language system bears no resemblance to that of English.

English proficiency and academic success in international postgraduate education

1993 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Vinke ◽  
W. M. G. Jochems
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Postgraduate Education

scholarly journals Impact of mother tongue on construction of notes and first-year academic performance

2016 ◽  
Vol Volume 112 (Number 11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Dukhan ◽  
Ann Cameron ◽  
Elisabeth Brenner ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
First Year ◽  
Language Students ◽  
The University

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify whether there are any differences in the quality of the notes constructed in English between students for whom English is a first language and those for whom it is a second language. Subsequently we assessed whether this difference, if any, affected their grades. Unsurprisingly, the first-language students produced better structured and more detailed notes; they also performed better academically than their second-language peers. However, when students were provided with training that focused on using writing as a means to promote critical thinking, there was an improvement in the personalisation of their notes. The improvement in grades was significant for second-language students. Thus the university has a pivotal role to play in preparing students for academic success by providing them with supportive measures to aid their transition into first year.

scholarly journals Immigrant Students Navigating Canadian Schools: A Longitudinal View

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Gunderson ◽  
Reginald Arthur D’Silva ◽  
Dennis Murphy Odo
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
First Language ◽  
School Mobility ◽  
Language Achievement ◽  
Educational History ◽  
Longitudinal View

Findings are presented from studies of the academic and language achievement of 1,307 young immigrant students whose educational history was traced from their arrival in Canada and entry into primary education in the early 1990s until their graduation from secondary schools. Five major findings are reported: school mobility, disappearance and dropout rates, success in provincial examinations, eligibility for postsecondary education, and ethnolinguistic differences in academic success. Findings reveal distinct differences in academic success related to immigrant class, gender, and first language (L1), whereas differences related to age on arrival (AOA) are less apparent. These and other findings are reported and described, and implications for pedagogical policy are presented.

English medium instruction: Global views and countries in focus

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (02) ◽  
pp. 231-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Macaro ◽  
Anna Kristina Hultgren ◽  
Andy Kirkpatrick ◽  
David Lasagabaster
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Teaching Content ◽  
The World ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Huge Variety

In virtually every research paper on this topic we come across we read that, in the particular context that the writer is operating, English as a medium of instruction (EMI) is on the increase. But what exactly is EMI? If we consider every classroom around the world in which learners are exposed to English language as their second language (L2) we are faced with a huge variety: English as a foreign language (EFL); Immersion, English for academic purposes; English for specific purposes, English for examination purposes, Content and language integrated learning (CLIL); content-based teaching; content-based language teaching, and so on. And then we have EMI. Here at the EMI Oxford Centre we define EMI as:The use of the English language to teach academic subjects (other than English itself) in countries or jurisdictions in which the majority of the population's first language is not English.This definition was first used in Dearden (2015).

How “Proficient” Is Proficient? Comparison of English and Relative Proficiency Rating as a Predictor of Bilingual Listeners' Word Recognition

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu-Feng Shi
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
First Language ◽  
English Word ◽  
Northwestern University ◽  
Test Population ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Group 1

Purpose The current study attempted to validate that English proficiency self-ratings predict bilinguals' recognition of English words as reported in Shi (2011) and to explore whether relative proficiency ratings (English vs. first language) improve prediction. Method One hundred and twenty-four participants in Shi (2011) and an additional set of 145 participants were included (Groups 1 and 2, respectively) in this study. All listeners rated their proficiency in listening, speaking, and reading (English and first language) on an 11-point scale and listened to a list of words from the Northwestern University Auditory Tests No. 6 (Tillman & Carhart, 1966) at 45 dB HL in quiet. Results English proficiency ratings by Group 2 yielded sensitivity/specificity values comparable to those of Group 1 (Shi, 2011) in predicting word recognition. A cutoff of 8 or 9 in minimum English proficiency rating across listening, speaking, and reading resulted in the best combination of prediction sensitivity/specificity. When relative proficiency was used, prediction of Group 1 performance significantly improved as compared to English proficiency. Improvement was slight for Group 2, mainly due to low specificity. Conclusion Self-rated English proficiency provides clinically acceptable sensitivity/specificity values as a predictor of bilinguals' English word recognition. Relative proficiency has the potential to further improve predictive power, but the size of improvement depends on the characteristics of the test population.

scholarly journals Spanish L1 EFL learners’ recognition knowledge of English academic vocabulary: The role of cognateness, word frequency and length

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Perez Urdaniz ◽  
Sophia Skoufaki
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Awareness Raising

AbstractAcademic vocabulary knowledge predicts students’ academic achievement across educational levels. English academic vocabulary knowledge is especially valuable because English is used in academia worldwide. Therefore, examining the factors that can predict English academic vocabulary knowledge can inform pedagogy, thus indirectly boosting students’ chances of academic success around the world. This study examines the extent to which cognateness, word frequency and length predict the ability of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners who have Spanish as their first language (L1) to recognise written English academic words. 38 Spanish L1 university students’ recognition knowledge of English cognates was measured via a Yes/No test containing words sampled from the most frequent 1,000 lemmas of the Academic Vocabulary List (Gardner and Davies 2014). 34 participants’ data were retained in the final analysis, a multiple regression with item facility (IF) as the outcome variable and word frequency, cognateness and word length as predictors. Most of the IF variance is explained by word frequency, followed by cognateness and finally a frequency by cognateness interaction whereby word frequency is more predictive of IF for non-cognates than cognates. These findings indicate that academic cognate-word awareness raising activities can be worthwhile. Implications for research and pedagogy are discussed.

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