Defining English Medium Instruction: Striving for comparative equivalence

English Medium Instruction (EMI) has been defined as ‘the use of the English language to teach academic subjects (other than English itself) in countries or jurisdictions where the first language (L1) of the majority of the population is not English’ (Macaro, 2018, p. 19). This definition has proved to be controversial but has underpinned the work of our research group, from whose collective perspective this article is written. Debates have centred on the role that English language development plays in EMI contexts, and whether this current definitional scope is too narrow in its exclusion of English medium educational practices in Anglophone settings. Pecorari and Malmström (2018), for example, observe that some members of the EMI research community interpret EMI more broadly to include ‘contexts in which English is a dominant language and in which English language development is supported and actively worked for’ (p. 507). Similarly, Baker and Hüttner (2016, p. 502) state that excluding Anglophone contexts from EMI is ‘unhelpful’ by failing to include the experiences of multilingual students in Anglophone universities who learn through their second language (L2). A focus on multilingualism is also one of the driving forces behind the emergence of new terminology that seeks to shift focus towards the contexts of education, rather than instruction and pedagogy. Dafouz and Smit (2016), for example, prefer the term English-Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings (EMEMUS), because the ‘label is semantically wider, as it does not specify any particular pedagogical approach or research agenda’ (p. 399).

Multiple dimensions of English-medium education

English-medium education (EME) has traditionally been associated with attracting international students – one-way mobility – in combination with English L1 speaker norms due to the prestige and global hegemony of English. The implications of using EME go beyond mere communication, since they also affect ways of thinking, seeing and practising the disciplines and this has been reflected in public controversies in Sweden. University leadership has to consider the pedagogical, linguistic, and cultural implications of internationalization and the impact of Englishization. This chapter offers a partial governance overview of EME in Swedish HEI and exemplifies EME interpretations with two case descriptions, where one focuses more on EME and the other more on the internationalization of the curriculum.

From profiling to pioneering

The first decade-and-a-half of the new millennium was a time of dramatic change for European universities. In response to the high level of competition on the international higher education market following the introduction of the Bologna process and the surging popularity of international rankings, universities are now looking for ways to differentiate themselves and their programmes. New English-taught programmes are increasingly seen as an opportunity to launch innovative curricula. This paper presents the results of a two-stage analysis of policy documents and expert interviews, revealing the drivers behind the decision to introduce English-medium education in the context of the ongoing internationalisation of higher education. The present study identified a shift in internationalisation efforts at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, one of Europe’s largest business universities. While in the past decade the drivers behind the implementation of English-medium programmes were primarily connected to the university’s profile and reputation, the latest data show they are now characterised by the university’s aim to be perceived as an innovator and a pioneer.

English-medium education revisited

Connected to the growing internationalisation of higher education in the world, the English language is increasingly being used as medium of teaching and learning, thereby contributing to the roles of English for transnational mobility, career development, access to new information and research, and the facilitation of global communication. While the label English-medium instruction (EMI) has been widely used in the last two decades to capture this phenomenon, we consider it an unfortunate choice in that it falls short in conceptualising the complexity of English in twenty-first-century higher education. First, EMI solely focuses on English, ignoring the increasing multilingual realities of higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide; secondly, EMI does not explicitly include reference to higher education, even though learning and teaching at the tertiary level is in crucial ways different to lower levels of education. Thirdly, EMI talks about “instruction” and thus views education as a non-relational process where teachers teach and learners learn. From this unilateral perspective, the co-construction of knowledge as a key feature of higher education remains unacknowledged. Against this backdrop, our paper sets out to argue for the conceptual need for an alternative label, known as English-medium education in multilingual university settings (or EMEMUS). This label, we argue, portrays more accurately and specifically the growing multilingual reality of current internationalised HEIs, the complex and highly situated roles that English plays in relation to other national and local languages, and the importance of interpreting education as a social-constructivist process. Moreover, EMEMUS will enable HEIs to re-examine comprehensively the range of activities that respond locally to global phenomena, from policy issues (e.g. regulations, implementation and management) to university practices (e.g. teaching, research, administration and teacher professional development) in an inclusive and multifaceted manner. Ultimately, this comprehensive conceptualisation aims to redefine English and internationalisation in a much more nuanced light.

Aligning glocal agendas for international education

In recent years, there has been growing interest amongst universities around the world on reflecting upon the contribution of higher education to a global society and exploring ways to broaden the curriculum to enable students to make a meaningful contribution to the world (de Wit et al. 2015). This paper will suggest that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are at the centre of centripetal forces behind global and local agendas, as well as at the centre of centrifugal forces behind English-Medium Education (EME) that have provided friction favourable to enhancing the quality of education and initiate curricular reform at Karolinska Institutet (KI). At the global level, quality education has been defined by the United Nations through the universally adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be one that purposefully includes inclusion, global citizenship, appreciation of cultural diversity and culture’s contribution to sustainable development (UNESCO 2017). Nationally, the Swedish Ministry of Education’s internationalisation inquiry (Bladh et al. 2018) specifically links internationalisation to quality and to the integration of international understanding and intercultural competence in the curriculum. Locally, this has created conditions favourable for HEIs to align new strategic plans with this understanding of quality, bringing internationalisation to the forefront of their education programmes. At the same time, the introduction of EME in HE has acted as a catalyst for transforming pedagogy to support the acquisition of twenty-first-century skills (Coyle 2013; Dafouz and Smit 2020; Valcke and Wilkinson 2017). The question of language in HE, in combination with the necessary adaptation to global agendas, has thus led university teachers to consider the pedagogical, linguistic and cultural implications of their practices as they have never done before. Focusing on KI as a case in point, this paper attempts to address what the convergence of policies, from the global to the local, with classroom practices means for developing quality EME at university.

English-medium education in internationalised universities: sketching a way forward

The increasing use of English as a medium of education (EME) in higher education has attracted an impressive amount of applied linguistic research, reflecting the pivotal role language plays in teaching and learning processes. This, however, stands in sharp contrast to the equally prolific body of research into the internationalisation of higher education (IoHE) in which the complex linguistic reality of EME - and its potential role in the internationalised classroom - is given little attention. Reviewing the current research and policy agenda, the authors find that the current policy climate offers similar opportunities for conceptual expansion of IoHE and EME, which calls for greater integration of the two fields of study. The authors argue for an interdisciplinary approach, recognising, and more holistically exploiting, the potential of language at the intersection of dynamic and multilayered policies and practices in twenty-first century internationalised higher education.

The division of child care during the coronavirus crisis in Germany: How did short-time work affect fathers' engagement?

Objective: This paper examines how participation in the short-time work scheme affected the gendered division of child care during the COVID-19 crisis in Germany. Background: Short-time work (Kurzarbeit) has been one of the main policies used to combat the economic and labour market repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany. We examine whether and, if so, how the growing prevalence of short-time work has affected care patterns. Method: We use data from the IAB-HOPP, a longitudinal study monitored by the German Institute for Employment Research (IAB). The analytical sample includes couples with children aged 12 and younger. We employ multinomial logistic regressions in which the outcome variable is the change in the division of care work from a period before to a period during the coronavirus crisis (June to October 2020). Results: We find that among men, receiving short-time work benefits resulted in more gender-equal care patterns. The positive effect of short-time work on the division of child care is moderated by the level of education. Fathers with low or medium education are more likely to increase their child care share when receiving short-time work benefits compared to fathers with high education. However, we also find that participating in the short-time work programme had no strong or significant effects on the gendered division of care among women. Conclusion: The evidence from this study suggests that men’s working time is a major vehicle to change the gendered division of care in couple households.

Teaching Buddhist Vocabulary to the Undergraduates of the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka

Learning Buddhist terms in English is one of the main challenges that the English medium undergraduates of the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka face. As the majority of the undergraduates start English medium education for the first time in the university they struggle a lot to learn the Buddhist terms necessary for their studies in English medium. Moreover, the students need a wide range of productive vocabulary in preaching the Buddha’s Dhamma worldwide which is one of the prime objectives of the university. Traditionally, vocabulary teaching has been paid less attention and the most common way is giving vocabulary lists for students to memorize. However, the current study as one of its objectives proves that this traditional approach to vocabulary teaching is less effective as well as less interesting. As the second objective, the study introduces a task-based integrated approach to teach Buddhist terminology. Being mixed research the study has employed instruments like vocabulary tests, questionnaires and interviews with the students as well as the lecturers in addition to classroom observation. The study finds that an integrated approach through tasks as material followed by an eclectic teaching method based on the post method is more effective than teaching through vocabulary lists.