scholarly journals English Medium Instruction and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Latin America: A Case Study from a Colombian University

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Tejada-Sanchez ◽  
Mario Molina-Naar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Internationalization Of Higher Education ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Internationalization Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Contextual Awareness

This study discusses the implementation of English medium instruction (EMI) at a Colombian university. First, the paper reviews the rise of EMI in the internationalization of higher education. Second, it illustrates how one university incorporated EMI as part of an internationalization process. Third, it identifies the perceptions that a group of administrators, faculty, and students have regarding the EMI initiative. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis were conducted. Findings suggest that EMI is tied to the structuring of an internationalization office, curricular reforms, and English language learning support. Participants’ perceptions are associated with their imaginaries, identities, experiences, and obligations in relation to the English language. The study concludes that the implementation of EMI within the internationalization of universities is inevitable, yet a sustainable EMI strategy requires contextual awareness and articulation amongst its participants.

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.

Facebook as Complementary Teaching Material: Reconceptualizing the Context Boundaries of Formal and Informal Learning in EFL Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 23-35
Author(s):  
Iman Abbas
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Formal Curriculum ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Skills Learning

This article is a case study that aims to understand and explore a teacher's perspective about integrating Facebook as an informal social platform into the EFL classroom in a higher education context in Oman. The study further aims to identify the attitudes and perspectives of a group of students belonging to the same context. Research data came from semi-structured interviews with a teacher participant and a survey questionnaire with student participants. The study provides a set of findings based on interview data analysis and questionnaire survey analysis. The study's findings revealed the teacher and students' positive attitudes and perspectives towards the role of Facebook in boosting pedagogical practices and increasing English language skills learning. This study contributes to knowledge by providing insights on the integration of Facebook as an informal platform into the formal curriculum-based learning in TESOL. The insights and findings are of value to the teachers and instructors in EFL higher education contexts. Pedagogical implications for ESL (English as a second language) and EFL (English as a foreign language) and researchers are offered in the light of these results.

A case study of how beliefs toward language learning and language teaching influence the teaching practices of a Japanese teacher of English in Japanese higher education

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Diane Nagatomo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Japanese Higher Education ◽  
Teacher's Beliefs

Japanese teachers of English in Japanese higher education are an under-researched, yet a highly influential group of teachers. A yearlong case study with one teacher, a literature specialist who is relatively new at teaching English, was conducted. Through multiple interviews and classroom observations, it was found that the teacher’s beliefs toward language learning and language teaching are deeply rooted in how she successfully learned English and are shaped by her love for literature. The paper concludes with a call for more qualitative and quantitative research investigating the teaching practices and the English pedagogical beliefs of Japanese university English teachers in order to deepen our understanding of English language education in Japan. 日本の高等教育機関における日本人の英語教師の役割は大きいにもかかわらず、これまで十分に研究の対象になって来なかった。文学が専門の比較的経験の浅い1人の教師を対象として1年間、ケーススタディを行った。数回のインタビューおよび教室での観察を通じて、その教師の言語学習・言語教授についての本人の信条が、自分の英語学習における成功体験および文学への愛情に少なからず影響されていることが判明した。本論では、日本における英語教育の理解を深めるためには、大学教師がどのような教育を行っているか、どのような教育上の信念を持っているのかを、質的にも量的にもさらに研究する必要性があると結論づけている。

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.

scholarly journals Yemeni EFL Learners’ Identity Conflicts: An Exploratory Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Rais Ahmed Attamimi ◽  
Nasser Omer M. Al-Tamimi ◽  
Jon Andrew Chittick
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Exploratory Case Study ◽  
Identity Conflicts ◽  
High Level

The importance of the concept of “identity” in the context of language learning is unassailable. Stemming from this premise, the current study is intended to explore the identity conflicts of a group of Yemeni learners who were studying English, as well as the techniques and strategies used to mitigate and/or lessen the conflicts between their actual identity and the identity associated with the target language, i.e., English. This research project used a qualitative exploratory case study research design with a sample of 20 students who were requested to write their journal diaries. Following that, semi-structured interviews were conducted using the double-sampling technique to select 10 of the previously sampled students who were proven to have written the most stimulating and intriguing journal entries. From the results of the study, tangible identity conflicts between the Yemeni culture and society at large and the implied behaviors and conventions accompanying the intensive study of the English language became apparent. The students exhibit a high level of motivation and they also exert their efforts using different techniques and strategies to excel at the learning and/or acquisition of the speaking skill of the English language. These conflicts may be consciously or subconsciously realized by the language learners, but what has been proven is that their attitudes, motivation and general inclinations towards the goal of speaking with a native or a native-like accent are unquestionably genuine. Lastly, the study suggested or recommended a revamp of the current textbooks giving teachers more training sessions in order to improve their individual repertoire, as well as a higher degree of awareness upon the part of the Yemeni society at large that these conflicts can interfere with the strong motivations, both aspirational and actual, to achieve the learning outcomes of the nation’s most promising future leaders and pioneers.

scholarly journals Independient virtual english language learning: a case study in higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Esther Nieto Moreno de Diezmas ◽  
Mª Victoria Guadamillas Gómez ◽  
Mª Prado García-Cano Lixcano
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning

scholarly journals Analyzing Capital to be Developed In Language Learning Among Graduates: A Case Study to Employ Bourdieusian Stances

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Ngoc Tung Vu
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Social Fields ◽  
Field Data Collection ◽  
Capital Construction

Language and culture are indispensably inseparable in language learning. The development of capital during language learning is of growing importance in Vietnam’s sociocultural context. However, there are very few studies that have explored Vietnamese learners of English use of capital to enhance their employability skills. This qualitative study examined five selected language learners who were graduates with various degrees from higher education institutions and were employed in different jobs. We sought to examine the reflections of participants from different disciplines regarding their capital construction and development, which occurred during English language learning. Drawing on Bourdieu’s (1986) stances on capital and field, data collection primarily concentrated on semi-structured interviews that were thematically analyzed. Findings suggested that students utilized various forms of learning in order to negotiate their capital and think that field acts as a driver force behind their use of certain strategies. Language learners were observed as cultural-beings able to make informed decisions on how to develop certain types of capital, based on their sense of agency and formation of multiple identities available in their academic, professional, and social fields. The findings are discussed and implications are presented.

scholarly journals COLLABORATIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: SOME REFLECTIONS FROM INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PAIRS

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-286
Author(s):  
Laryssa Paulino de Queiroz Sousa ◽  
Fernanda Franco Tiraboschi ◽  
Neuda Alves do Lago ◽  
Francisco José Quaresma de Figueiredo
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Collaborative Writing ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Learning Development ◽  
Collaborative Language

ABSTRACT The focus of this study is on the interactions five pairs of students had in order to carry out a collaborative writing activity. The research was conducted in a language school of Goiânia, in Goiás, Brazil, with ten EFL/ESL students, in 2015. The objectives of this investigation are: a) to observe and discuss the elements that stand out during the students' interactions; and b) to investigate these learners' perceptions of the experience. This study is grounded on sociocultural theory (DONATO, 1994; HALL, 2001; VYGOTSKY, 1978) and collaborative language learning (FIGUEIREDO, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015; OXFORD, 1997). The theoretical assumptions that guide this research consider interaction and collaboration as essential elements for language learning development. This is a qualitative case study (GODOY, 2006; TELLES, 2002), and the sources used to generate the data are questionnaires, audio recordings of the students' interactions and semi-structured interviews. The elements that stand out in this investigation are related to the potentialities of dialogic interactions, which foster scaffolding, mutual support, and the promotion of learners' autonomy. In addition, the learners highlight some positive aspects they could perceive from the experience, such as each other's help and the possibility to access more ideas; as negative aspects, they point out disagreements and conflicts they had to handle during the interactions.

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.

Inclusive Transnational Education Partnerships: A Case Study of a Master of Arts in TESOL Program

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822110112
Author(s):  
Marie Alina Yeo ◽  
Jonathan Mark Newton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Transnational Higher Education ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Master Of Arts

Recent nationalist and isolationist policies coupled with travel restrictions have prompted a shift in perspectives on the internationalization of higher education. Furthermore, criticisms surrounding issues such as the widespread adoption of English as a medium of instruction in higher education and quality assurance of transnational programs have emerged, with increasing calls for more inclusive models and greater emphasis on quality over quantity. This paper presents an evaluative study of a transnational Master of Arts in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MATESOL) program delivered in partnership by an institution in Singapore (SI) and a university in New Zealand (NZU) and designed for English language teachers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Drawing on an impact evaluation, the paper identifies key design features in the program that contributed to its effectiveness as an inclusive model of English medium instruction (EMI) and internationalization in transnational higher education (TNHE).

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