Language ideology of English-medium instruction in higher education

English Today ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mosiur Rahman ◽  
Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Ideology ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Global Language ◽  
Economic Motives

English-medium instruction (EMI) has been perceived as a key strategy through which universities, propelled by academic, political, social and economic motives, respond to the influence of globalisation (Altbach & Knight, 2007). This has been fuelled by the fact that English, defined as the global common language, is needed to create the knowledge base in global tertiary education (Fishman, 2000). In the process, English has become the universal second language of advanced education (Brumfit, 2004), due to the value attached to the language in present times and the advantage of using the language in the existing global language order (Zhang, 2017). These motivations have contributed to the global phenomenon of English being the medium of instruction (MOI), and higher education has been the venue where EMI could be implemented more consistently (Dearden, 2014). This has resulted in the generation of a growing body of work on how universities plan their language policies (Liddicoat, 2016).

Tolerance and Control. Developing a language policy for an EMI university in Uzbekistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-237
Author(s):  
Andrew Linn ◽  
Anastasiya Bezborodova ◽  
Saida Radjabzade
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
The Other ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Language Ecology ◽  
English Only ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
The One ◽  
And Control

AbstractThis article presents a practical project to develop a language policy for an English-Medium-Instruction university in Uzbekistan. Although the university is de facto English-only, it presents a complex language ecology, which in turn has led to confusion and disagreement about language use on campus. The project team investigated the experience, views and attitudes of over a thousand people, including faculty, students, administrative and maintenance staff, in order to arrive at a proposed policy which would serve the whole community, based on the principle of tolerance and pragmatism. After outlining the relevant language and educational context and setting out the methods and approach of the underpinning research project, the article goes on to present the key findings. One of the striking findings was an appetite for control and regulation of language behaviours. Language policies in Higher Education invariably fall down at the implementation stage because of a lack of will to follow through on their principles and their specific guidelines. Language policy in international business on the other hand is characterised by a control stage invariably lacking in language planning in education. Uzbekistan is a polity used to control measures following from policy implementation. The article concludes by suggesting that Higher Education in Central Asia may stand a better chance of seeing through language policies around English-Medium Instruction than, for example, in northern Europe, based on the tension between tolerance on the one hand and control on the other.

English Medium Instruction and Human Linguistic Rights: Academic, Psychological and Cultural Suffering

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Taghreed Masri
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Linguistic Rights ◽  
Critical Methodology ◽  
Arab Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction

In higher education in the UAE, English is used as the medium of instruction, while academic Arabic is relegated to few electives that can be also taken in English. Policy makers perceive the transition from Arabic medium instruction (ami) schools to English medium instruction (emi) universities as normal and automatic. This study aims to explore how students see this transition, and whether they find it automatic and smooth, or embroiled in hardship and difficulties. It is based on a critical theoretical framework and is approached using exploratory critical methodology. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty undergraduate Arab students in three English-medium universities. Results showed that students faced psychological, academic, social and cultural difficulties associated with the transition from Arabic schools to English-medium instruction universities.

The positioning of English-medium of instruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-27
Author(s):  
John Trent
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Positioning Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English Medium Of Instruction ◽  
The University

Abstract The proliferation of English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education institutions (HEIs) across non-English-speaking Europe has been recently documented in several large-scale surveys. The opportunities and challenges of designing and implementing EMI policies are also widely recognized. However, our understanding of the use of EMI in Russian HEIs is limited. This study responds to this research need by exploring the experiences and perspectives of instructors teaching business-related subjects using the English language in two different Russian HEIs. A contribution of the study is to investigate these perspectives and experiences using the analytic lens of positioning theory. Results reveal the ways in which instructors are positioned by the university, as well how they position themselves, within an EMI environment. Acknowledging the potential antagonism that might result between different EMI stakeholders because of this positioning and repositioning, suggestions are then made as how this outcome could be avoided. Implications for future research are also considered.

scholarly journals Challenges and Strategies of University Students in English-medium Instruction (EMI) Classes: A case study

2021 ◽  
pp. 9-25
Author(s):  
Kamran Akhtar Siddiqui ◽  
Hassan Syed ◽  
Zafarullah Sahito
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
National Language ◽  
School Level ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Continuous Use

English language has grown to be a lingua franca of the present day world. Therefore, even non- English European and Asian countries have adopted English as a medium of instruction. English has continuously been the medium of instruction in the higher education of Pakistan in spite of having a great linguistic diversity and national language Urdu as the medium of instruction at school level. This study aims to explore the perceptions of undergraduates about EMI, challenges they face in EMI classrooms and solutions they suggest for mitigation of their issues. The qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews reveals that students perceive EMI to be beneficial for higher education, employment and progressive thought. However, they face challenges related to teachers’ English proficiency, code-switching, vocabulary and receptive as well as productive skills. They suggest that English-proficient instructors, continuous use of English, language support from university can help them overcome these challenges effectively.

English as a medium of instruction in Chinese higher education: looking back and looking forward

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangwei Hu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Chinese Higher Education ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Looking Back

Abstract This paper takes a look at English medium instruction (EMI) in Chinese higher education, offers comments on the five articles included in this special issue, identifies challenges and conundrums in EMI, and invites further research on the processes and products of EMI in the Chinese context.

PERCEPTIONS OF UNDERGRADUATES OF ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION: EXPLORATION OF CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

2021 ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
Kamran Akhtar SIDDIQUI ◽  
Hassan SYED
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Continuous Use

The English language has grown to be a lingua franca of the present day world. Therefore, even non-English European and Asian countries have adopted English as a medium of instruction. Despite having a great linguistic diversity in the country and varied medium of instructions at different educational levels, English has continuously been the medium of instruction in the higher education of Pakistan. Although the attitudes of undergraduates have been studied in urban centers in the country on a smaller scale, very little attention has been paid to exploring specifically the challenges undergraduates face in universities located in small cities. Therefore, this study aims to explore undergraduates’ perceptions about EMI, particularly the challenges they face in EMI classrooms and solutions they suggest for mitigation of their issues. The qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews reveal that students perceive EMI to be beneficial for higher education, employment and progressive thought. However, they face challenges related to teachers’ English proficiency, code-switching, vocabulary and receptive as well as productive skills. They suggest that English-proficient instructors, continuous use of English, language support from university can help them overcome these challenges effectively. The study offers recommendations for further exploration of the research area in the context of Pakistan.

A survey of English-medium instruction in Italian higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Broggini ◽  
Francesca Costa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Local Data ◽  
National Policies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The North ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon

English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has rapidly become a widespread phenomenon in Europe, especially in many Italian institutions. The growth of EMI is currently exponential as well as non-regimented; it is therefore very important to obtain updated, local data regarding this phenomenon, which could be of use in developing future national policies. This study describes the data gathered in a 2015 survey of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) which included all Italian universities. The survey concentrated on three areas, the lecturers and students involved and the overall organisation of the courses in both private and public institutions in the North, Centre and South of Italy. The paper updates information on the same topic gathered from a previous questionnaire (Costa & Coleman, 2012), reflecting on what has changed during the intervening three years.

scholarly journals English-Medium Instruction in Self-Financing Tertiary Institutions in Hong Kong – Views and Practices from the Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Marine Yeung ◽  
Vic Lu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
British Colony ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
University Lecturers

The medium of instruction (MOI) has been a bone of contention in Hong Kong, a former British colony, since its colonial days. Despite the Hong Kong government’s effort to promote the “biliterate and trilingual” language policy, advocating Cantonese, English and Putonghua as the three official spoken languages and emphasizing the importance of literacy in both written Chinese and English, most tertiary institutions today still adopt English as the medium of instruction (EMI). However, with the expansion of tertiary education in the early 1990s and the decline in the general English language proficiency of university students, some university lecturers have found it difficult to teach in English as required. This raises the issue of the practicality of the indiscriminate adoption of the EMI policy at tertiary level, particularly at the self-financing tertiary institutions where students are generally known to have under-performed in the English subject. In order to understand whether or how the EMI policy is upheld in these institutions, focus group interviews were conducted with students from various programmes of five self-financing tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. The findings indicate these students’ strong preference for English-medium instruction with the belief that it can improve their English proficiency, though their actual approaches to coping with the demand on their limited English and how they view and use the three languages in class deserve policy makers’ serious consideration.

scholarly journals Responses to the internationalisation of higher education in language policies of Estonia and Latvia

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerttu Kibbermann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Students ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
State Level ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Internationalisation Of Higher Education ◽  
Official Languages ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This paper analyses language policies in higher education in Estonia and Latvia. Both countries are currently in search for a balance between national and international in the sphere of higher education. Higher education in Estonia and Latvia mainly functions in the official languages of the countries, Estonian and Latvian. Yet, the international nature of tertiary education has brought these languages into contact with others, mostly English and Russian. The paper seeks to find out how the relationship of internationalisation and language is construed in state-level policy documents comparatively in Estonia and Latvia. The results of the analysis show that the issues of language are more thoroughly covered in Estonian policy documents than Latvian policy documents. However, in both countries internationalisation is mostly driven by the need to attract foreign students in order to fill the domestic demographic gap. Thus, both Estonia and Latvia connect internationalisation mostly to foreign-medium instruction.Kokkuvõte. Kerttu Kibbermann: Kõrghariduse rahvusvahelistumine ja keelepoliitika Eestis ja Lätis. Artiklis analüüsitakse kõrghariduse keelepoliitikat Eestis ja Lätis. Mõlemad riigid püüavad hetkel leida kõrghariduses tasakaalu rahvusliku ja rahvusvahelise vahel. Kõrgharidus toimib Eestis ja Lätis peamiselt riigikeeles, vastavalt eesti ja läti keeles, aga kasutatakse ka teisi keeli, peamiselt inglise ja vene keelt. Artiklis analüüsitakse võrdlevalt Eesti ja Läti poliitika planeerimise dokumente eesmärgiga välja selgitada, kuidas lähenetakse keeleküsimusele kõrghariduse rahvusvahelistumise poliitikas. Dokumendianalüüs näitab, et kõrghariduse rahvusvahelistumise poliitikas on keeleküsimustele pööratud Eestis rohkem tähelepanu kui Lätis. Sarnasusena võib välja tuua mõlema riigi demograafilise probleemi, mis tundub olevat rahvusvahelistumist käivitavaks teguriks. Sellepärast on rahvusvahelistumine nii Eesti kui ka Läti riiklikus poliitikas peamiselt seotud õppekeele küsimusega.Märksõnad: kõrghariduse rahvusvahelistumine; keelepoliitika; riiklikud poliitika planeerimise dokumendid; õppekeel; ingliskeelne õpe

scholarly journals Neoliberal language policies and linguistic entrepreneurship in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-196
Author(s):  
Maria Sabaté Dalmau
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Language Resources ◽  
Neoliberal Governance ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Professional Ethos ◽  
Local Languages ◽  
Stratifying System

Abstract This paper analyzes English-Medium-Instruction (EMI) lecturers’ ambivalent orientations towards neoliberal language policies and linguistic entrepreneurship. The data includes interviews with six case-study lecturers’ biographic narratives, audiologs and video/audio-recorded observations, collected in a market-oriented Catalan university. I show that lecturers problematize Englishization policies but operationalize them by presenting themselves as leading actors in the deployment of EMI. Following “managerialism” logics, they envision English as an economically-convertible “career skill”, imperative to meet new employability/workplace demands. They carve advantaged professional ethos linked to their self-attained English-language resources. They devalue their “non-native” accent but present themselves as content and English-language lecturers, distinguishing themselves from “ordinary” colleagues who teach in local languages, in narratives of “competitiveness” whereby they naturalize a socioeconomically-stratifying system of meritocracy/revenue grounded on the marketization of English. This contributes to understand neoliberal-governance regimes which impose language-based mechanisms for lecturers’ profiling based on views of education as the corporatized “making” of productive workers-to-be.

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