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.

Challenges to English-medium instruction (EMI) for international students in China: A learners' perspective

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 63-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-Jun He ◽  
Shiao-Yun Chiang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
International Education ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Chinese Higher Education ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Education In China

According to the Institute of International Education, China has become a major receiving country of international students, like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The rapid development of international education in China evidences a major progress in the infrastructure of Chinese higher education. While internationalization creates unprecedented opportunities for the knowledge economy in China, it simultaneously poses unparalleled challenges for Chinese higher education (An & Chiang, 2015) and one of these challenges is the medium of instruction (MOI). While English has been widely taught in China since 1978 (McArthur, 2005), it was not until the turn of the century that English was endorsed as the medium of instruction for the so-called Chinese-English bilingual education.

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.

Looking Back (and Inward), Moving Forward

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-114
Author(s):  
Tala Khanmalek
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Ethnic Studies ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Roundtable Discussion ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Looking Back

This roundtable discussion brings the special issue editors, Leece Lee-Oliver and Xamuel Bañales, together with Ula Y. Taylor and Nelson Maldonado-Torres to discuss Ethnic Studies not only as a field of study but also as an ongoing movement. In this moment of great pessimism, potential, and possibility, the roundtable participants provide a way forward by looking back—and inward. Many of the reflections emerge from lived experiences and, in particular, the continued challenges that marginalized faculty face in higher education.

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.

English language ideologies and students’ perception of international English-Medium-Instruction (EMI) Master's programmes: A Chinese case study

English Today ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Song
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Chinese Higher Education ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
International English

To be engaged in the economic, political and technological processes of globalization, higher education institutions around the world have included internationalization as part of their long-term mission, and China is no exception. The number of international students on campus is a well-recognized index of the universities’ internationalized status. According to the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the People's Republic of China, in 2016 there were 442,773 international students studying in China, 209,966 of whom were enrolled in degree programmes in Chinese higher education institutions, and 63,867 (47.42%) studied as postgraduate students (MOE, 2017).

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