English-Medium Instruction and Content Learning in Higher Education: Effects of Medium of Instruction, English Proficiency, and Academic Ability

English-medium instruction (EMI) has become increasingly popular in higher educational institutions across the world due to the prominence of English and the internationalization of higher education. Nevertheless, limited research to date has investigated its impacts on content learning through objective measures. The present study addresses this gap by examining whether students taught in English at a university in China perform differently in a business course from their counterparts taught in Chinese and how English-taught students’ English proficiency and academic ability (as measured by grade point average) relate to their EMI academic outcomes. The study employed a quasi-experimental design and adopted inter-translated versions of the same syllabus, textbook, class materials, and exam paper for the English- and Chinese-medium classes. It found no significant differences in students’ academic outcomes (i.e., total score, assignment, participation, and final exam) between the English- and the Chinese-taught classes. It also showed that both English proficiency and academic ability were statistically significant predictors of English-taught students’ academic outcomes with academic ability being a much stronger predictor than English proficiency. These findings add to a growing but still limited body of evidence on the impacts of EMI on content learning and point to several important implications for EMI.

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Evaluating the efficacy of English proficiency on initial semestral results for higher education L1 English speakers in a multilingual context

Higher Education Evaluation and Development ◽

10.1108/heed-01-2021-0002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Lyndon Lim ◽

Wenjin Vikki Bo

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

International Students ◽

Foreign Language ◽

English Proficiency ◽

Domestic Students ◽

Grade Point ◽

Content Type ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Context Data ◽

English Speaking

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate an English Proficiency (EP) programme and its efficacy with respect to students' academic performance in a university within a multi-lingual context, as the programme had been in effect for some years.Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental approach was used to study the efficacy of an EP programme in a university within a multilingual context. Data across two academic years were used, along with regression discontinuity design.FindingsResults suggest that the EP programme had a significant and positive intervention effect on students' initial semester grade point average. The programme effect size was found to be medium to large.Research limitations/implicationsIt might be useful to extend the study for one more year for more concrete conclusions. As the study was anchored upon the structure of the 2016 EP programme, any major curricular/structural change to the programme warrants another study.Practical implicationsThis study demonstrated that the implementation of EP programmes in higher education institutions is essential not only for international students who are foreign language speakers of English but also for domestic students in English-speaking countries, especially for bi/multilingual speakers.Originality/valuePrevious studies related to the efficacy of EP within higher education have focused on international students who speak English as an additional/foreign language. Further, most studies have focussed on students' self-reported experiences and have yielded disparate findings. This study contributes to scholarship as it addresses the under-researched area related to domestic students who speak English as the first language in a bi/multi-lingual context.

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

Applied Linguistics Review ◽

10.1515/applirev-2020-0097 ◽

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.

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A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education

Language Teaching ◽

10.1017/s0261444817000350 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 36-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 153

Author(s):

Ernesto Macaro ◽

Samantha Curle ◽

Jack Pun ◽

Jiangshan An ◽

Julie Dearden

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Language Learning ◽

Detrimental Effect ◽

Research Evidence ◽

University Teachers ◽

Content Learning ◽

Key Stakeholders ◽

Teachers Beliefs ◽

English Medium Instruction

After outlining why a systematic review of research in English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education (HE) is urgently required, we briefly situate the rapidly growing EMI phenomenon in the broader field of research in which content and language have been considered and compare HE research outputs with those from other phases of education. An in-depth review of 83 studies in HE documents the growth of EMI in different geographical areas. We describe studies which have investigated university teachers’ beliefs and those of students before attempting to synthesise the evidence on whether teaching academic subjects through the medium of English as a second language (L2) is of benefit to developing English proficiency without a detrimental effect on content learning. We conclude that key stakeholders have serious concerns regarding the introduction and implementation of EMI despite sometimes recognising its inevitability. We also conclude that the research evidence to date is insufficient to assert that EMI benefits language learning nor that it is clearly detrimental to content learning. There are also insufficient studies demonstrating, through the classroom discourse, the kind of practice which may lead to beneficial outcomes. This insufficiency, we argue, is partly due to research methodology problems both at the micro and macro level.

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Executive Functions and Clinical and Academic Outcomes in Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-19-00143 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 1221-1230

Author(s):

Jane Roitsch ◽

Kimberly A. Murphy ◽

Anastasia M. Raymer

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Academic Outcomes ◽

Graduate Program ◽

Performance Outcomes ◽

Future Research ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Grade Point ◽

Praxis Ii ◽

Language Pathology ◽

Preliminary Study

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate executive function measures as they relate to clinical and academic performance outcomes of graduate speech-language pathology students. Method An observational design incorporating correlations and stepwise multiple regressions was used to determine the strength of the relationships between clinical outcomes that occurred at various time points throughout the graduate program (clinical coursework grades throughout the program and case study paper scores at the end of the program), academic outcomes (graduate grade point average and Praxis II exam in speech-language pathology scores), and executive function (EF) scores (EF assessment scores, self-reported EF scores). Participants were 37 students (36 women, M age = 24.1) in a master's degree program in speech-language pathology at a southeastern U.S. university during the 2017–2018 academic year. Results Findings of this preliminary study indicated that a limited number of objective EF scores and self-reported EF scores were related to clinical and academic outcomes of graduate speech-language pathology students. Conclusion As results of this preliminary study suggest that EF tests may be related to clinical and academic outcomes, future research can move to study the potential role of EF measures in the graduate admissions process in clinical graduate programs such as speech-language pathology.

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EXTERNAL INDEPENDENT EVALUATION IN ENGLISH AS A CRITERION FOR ADMISSION TO MASTER`S DEGREE PROGRAMS IN UKRAINE: PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES

Духовність особистості: методологія, теорія і практика ◽

10.33216/2220-6310-2020-94-1-39-50 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 94 (1) ◽

pp. 39-50

Author(s):

Л. Е. Бєловецька

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Language Proficiency ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Language ◽

English Proficiency ◽

Educational Process ◽

International Standards ◽

Degree Programs ◽

Scientific Publications ◽

Independent Evaluation

The problem of external independent evaluation in English for admission Master`s degree programs in Ukraine is considered in the article. The perspective for further improvement of English teaching and learning standards at Ukrainian universities has been found. The correspondence to the CEFR basic levels and English proficiency has been identified. Conceptual Principles of State Policy on the Development of English in the Field of Higher Education are considered. The study included 1546 participants. The age of students, who studied to gain the first higher education, was between 17 and 20. The students were not familiar with the structure of External Independent Evaluation and they have never passed it. The research was carried out during the period 2018–2019. The relevance of English language competence in the professional context is noted emphasized as a key point of the presented research. The necessity to provide a sufficient competitive level for Ukrainian graduates through improving correspondent English language training has been considered. The study is based on a study of reports by British experts and contemporary scientific publications presented international researchers have focused on the problems of internationalization and perspectives for Ukrainian universities in the English language dimension. The relevance of studying and adaptation of the UK higher education successful practice has been highlighted. The problems and potential ways of improving students` English language proficiency in the given context are identified. In particular, the study contains important recommendations regarding the number of contact hours and the required levels of English proficiency for the main groups of participants in the educational process in higher education according to international standards.

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

Sociolinguistica - International Yearbook of European Sociolinguistics / Internationales Jahrbuch für europäische Soziolinguistik ◽

10.1515/soci-2020-0013 ◽

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.

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To what extent emotion, cognition and behaviour enhance a student’s engagement: A case study on the MAJA teaching approach

Policy Futures in Education ◽

10.1177/14782103211032076 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147821032110320

Author(s):

Matt M. Husain

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Cognitive Engagement ◽

Learning Outcome ◽

Soft Or ◽

Final Exam ◽

Course Content ◽

Higher Education System ◽

Student Aspirations ◽

Class Environment

This empirical article problematises student engagement in today’s higher education system. The objective of this research is to stimulate a student’s behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement. I employed an inclusive, inductive and reflexive approach and used mixed methods for collecting data from 948 volunteer participants. The preliminary findings illustrate that playing soft or lively music for a few minutes before a class as well as contextualising and delivering course content combined with enrolled students’ background, hobbies and preferences can go a long way in stimulating emotional and cognitive engagements. The findings also reveal that offering chair yoga during mid-term and/or final exam periods as well as encouraging students to hydrate can lead to increasing behavioural adjustments and then in attention and engagement. The results are encapsulated in a novel teaching framework, MAJA (meaning fun in Sanskrit) that stands for: (a) music, (b) anonymous class survey, (c) jest, and (d) aliment. The framework illuminates that when students tangibly sense a connection between a safe and comfortable class environment and course content, their participation increases and absenteeism decreases. They also promote student aspirations and accountability that facilitate critical thinking, an imperative learning outcome in higher education.

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Geology and Environment: A Problem-Based Learning Study in Higher Education

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences11040173 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 173

Author(s):

Tânia Pinto ◽

António Guerner Dias ◽

Clara Vasconcelos

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Problem Based Learning ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Post Test ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Within Subjects ◽

Two Phases ◽

Experimental Group

We aimed to contribute to a shift in higher education teaching and learning methods by considering problem-based learning (PBL) as an approach capable of positively affecting students from a geology and environment (GE) curricular unit. In a convenience sample from a Portuguese public university, two groups of students were defined: (1) an experimental group (n = 16), to which an intervention program (IP) based on PBL was applied, and (2) a comparison group (n = 17), subjected to the traditional teaching approach. For nine weeks, students subject to the IP faced four problem scenarios about different themes. A triangulation of methods was chosen. The study involved two phases: (1) qualitative (sustained on content analysis of driving questions raised by students, registered in a monitoring sheet) and (2) quantitative (quasi-experimental study, based on data from a prior and post-test knowledge assessment). The qualitative results point to the development of more complex cognitive-level questioning skills after increasing familiarity with PBL. The data obtained in the quantitative study, which included both a “within-subjects” and a “between-subjects” design, show higher benefits in the experimental group, documenting gains in terms of scientific knowledge when using the PBL methodology.

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