Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment Practices in Local and International EMI Programmes: Perspectives of Vietnamese Students

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Higher Education in Market-Oriented Socialist Vietnam

Part of the book series: International and Development Education ((INTDE))

Abstract

This study investigated Vietnamese students’ perceptions of assessment practices in local and international English-Medium Instruction (EMI) programmes. Participants were six Vietnamese students who, at the time of the research, were studying towards or recently completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a science- or business-related discipline in Australia, the UK, and France (international EMI programmes). These students had also previously taken some English-taught courses or attended an entirely EMI degree programme in Vietnam (local EMI programmes). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with individual participants to probe on their perceptions towards different aspects of assessment practices in both types of EMI programmes, including assessment types, evaluation criteria, and feedback. The findings show similarities and differences between the two programme types in how these students experienced assessment. While both EMI programmes exposed them to a wide variety of similar kinds of assessment tasks (e.g. oral presentations, written assignments, exams), students found discrepancies in how these assessments were executed between the two settings, such as preparation for exams, group assessment, and evaluation and feedback. These findings are discussed in light of recent research on EMI teaching and learning in higher education. This research is hoped to provide critical insights into areas where EMI programme designers, policy makers, and teacher trainers could focus on to enhance the effectiveness of assessment practices in EMI implementation in various contexts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aguilar, M., & Rodriguez, R. (2012). Lecturer and student perceptions on CLIL at a Spanish university. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 15(2), 183–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, W., & Hüttner, J. (2017). English and more: A multisite study of roles and conceptualisations of language in English medium multilingual universities from Europe to Asia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 38(6), 501–516. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2016.1207183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boud, D., & Soler, R. (2016). Sustainable assessment revisited. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(3), 400–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, F. (2017). Instructional language use in environmental science classroom. In W. Tsou & S. Kao (Eds.), English as a medium of instruction in higher education: Implementations and classroom practices in Taiwan (pp. 57–78). Berlin, Germany: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dafouz, E. (2011). English as the medium of instruction in Spanish context: A look at teacher discourses. In Y. R. de Zarobe, J. M. Sierra, & F. Gallardo del Puerto (Eds.), Content and foreign language integrated learning: Contributions to multilingualism in European contexts (pp. 189–209). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dafouz, E., Camacho, M. M., & Urquia, E. (2014). ‘Surely they can’t do as well’: A comparison of business students’ academic performance in English-medium and Spanish-as-first-language-medium programmes. Language and Education, 28(3), 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2013.808661.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dafouz, E., & Camacho-Minano, M. M. (2016). Exploring the impact of English-medium instruction on university student academic achievement: The case of accounting. English for Specific Purposes, 44, 57–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dafouz, E., Hüttner, J., & Smit, U. (2016). University teachers’ beliefs of language and content integration in English-medium education in multilingual university settings. In T. Nikula, E. Dafouz, P. Moore, & U. Smit (Eds.), Conceptualising integration in CLIL and multilingual education (pp. 123–143). Bristol, England: Multilangual Matters.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dang, T. K. A., Nguyen, H. T. M., & Le, T. T. T. (2013). The impacts of globalisation on EFL teacher education through English as a medium of instruction: An example from Vietnam. Current Issues in Language Planning, 14(1), 52–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, M. (2011). Concept mapping, mind mapping and argument mapping: What are the differences and do they matter? Higher Education, 62(3), 279–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dearden, J. (2014). English as a medium of instruction—A growing global phenomenon. Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/e484_emi_-_cover_option_3_final_web.pdf.

  • Dippold, D. (2015). Classroom interaction: The internationalised Anglophone university. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Doiz, A., Lasagabaster, D., & Sierra, J. M. (2012). English-medium instruction at universities: Global challenges. Bristol: Multilingual matters.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dӧrnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earl, L., & Katz, S. (2006). Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Western Northern Canadian Protocol.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellili-Cherif, M., & Alkhateeb, H. (2015). College students’ attitude toward the medium of instruction: Arabic versus English dilemma. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(3), 207–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fenton-Smith, B., Humphreys, P., & Walkinshaw, I. (Eds.). (2017). English medium instruction in higher education in Asia-Pacific: From policy to pedagogy. Springer International Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Vietnam. (2005). Nghị quyết số 14/2005/NQ-CP về việc “Đổi mới cơ bản và toàn diện giáo dục đại học Việt Nam giai đoạn 2006–2020” (Resolution No. 14/2005/NQ-CP on “Substantial and comprehensive reform of Vietnam’s higher education in 2006–2020 period”). Hanoi: Government of Vietnam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Vietnam. (2008). Quyết định số 1400/QĐ-TTG ngày 30/9/2008 của Thủ tướng Chính phủ: Về việc phê duyệt Đề án “Dạy và học ngoại ngữ trong hệ thống giáo dục quốc dân giai đoạn 2008–2020” (Decision 1400/QĐ-TTG dated 30 September 2008 by the Prime Minister on the Approval of the Proposed Project entitled: “Teaching and Learning of Foreign Languages in the National Educational System”). Hanoi: Government of Vietnam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guarda, M., & Helm, F. (2017). “I have discovered new teaching pathways”: The link between language shift and teaching practice. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 20(7), 897–913.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hellekjaer, G. O. (2010). Assessing lecture comprehension in Norwegian English-medium higher education. In C. Dalton-Puffer, T. Nikula, & U. Smit (Eds.), Language use and language learning in CLIL classrooms (pp. 233–258). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez-Nanclares, N., & Jimenez-Munoz, A. (2017). English as a medium of instruction: Evidence for language and content targets in bilingual education in economics. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 20(7), 883–896.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hönig, I. (2010). Assessment in CLIL: Theoretical and empirical research. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joe, Y., & Lee, H.-K. (2013). Does English-medium instruction benefit students in EFL contexts? A case study of medical students in Korea. Asia-Pacific Education Research, 22(2), 201–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kao, Y. T., & Tsou, W. (2017). EMI course assessment: A survey study of the issues. In W. Tsou & S. M. Kao (Eds.), English as a medium of instruction in higher education (pp. 183–205). Singapore: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Khan, H. I. (2013). An investigation of two universities’ postgraduate students and their teachers’ perceptions of policy and practice of English Medium of Instruction (EMI) in Pakistani universities (Doctoral dissertation). University of Glasgow. Retrieved from http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4451/1/2013Khanphd2.pdf.

  • Le, M. D. (2012). English as a medium of instruction at tertiary education system in Vietnam. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 9(2), 97–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lemke, J. L. (1990). Talking science: Language, learning and values. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, T., & Shohamy, E. (2008). Achievement of immigrant students in mathematics and academic Hebrew in Israeli school: A large scale evaluation study. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 34, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, N., & Wu, J. (2018). Exploring assessment for learning practices in the EMI classroom in the context of Taiwanese higher education. Language Education & Assessment, 1(1), 28–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ljosland, R. (2011). English as an academic lingua franca: Language policies and multilingual practices in a Norwegian university. Journal of Pragmatics, 43, 991–1004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, Y. L., & Fung, D. (2018). Assessments in CLIL: The interplay between cognitive and linguistic demands and their progression in secondary education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1436519.

  • Macaro, E., Akincioglu, M., & Dearden, J. (2016). English-medium instruction in universities: A collaborative experiment in Turkey. Studies in English Language Teaching, 4(1), 51–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macaro, E., Curle, S., Pun, J., An, J., & Dearden, J. (2018). A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education. Language Teaching, 51(1), 36–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ngo, P. L. H. (2019). English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education: A case study of an EMI programme in Vietnam (Doctor of Philosophy). University of Southampton, UK, Southampton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen, T. H., Walkinshaw, I., & Pham, H. H. (2017). EMI programmes in a Vietnamese university: Language, pedagogy and policy issues. In B. Fenton-Smith, P. Humphreys, & I. Walkinshaw (Eds.), English medium instruction in higher education in Asia-Pacific: From policy to pedagogy (pp. 37–52). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, Z. (2010). The essential guide to doing your research project. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulcini, V., & Campagna, S. (2015). Internationalisation and the EMI controversy in Italian higher education. In S. Dimova, A. K. Hultgren, & C. Jensen (Eds.), English-medium instruction in European higher education: English in Europe (Vol. 3). Berlin and Boston, MA: Walter de Gruyter GmbH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riazi, M. (2016). The Routledge encyclopedia of research methods in applied linguistics. New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J. (2010). The effects of test translation on young English learners’ mathematics performance. Educational Researcher, 39(8), 582–590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, C., & Taylor, C. (2007). Theorizing student voice: Values and perspectives. Improving Schools, 10(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480207073702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiri, S. (2015). Intercultural communicative competence development during and after language study abroad: Insights from Arabic. Foreign Language Annals, 48(4), 541–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shohamy, E. (2013). A critical perspective on the use of English as a medium of instruction at universities. In A. Doiz, D. Lasagabaster, & J. M. Sierra (Eds.), English-medium instruction at universities: Global challenges (pp. 196–212). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 699–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taguchi, N. (2018). Contexts and pragmatics learning: Problems and opportunities of the study abroad research. Language Teaching, 51(1), 124–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tran, L. T., & Nguyen, H. T. (2018). Internationalisation of higher education in Vietnam through English Medium Instruction (EMI): Practices, tensions and implications for local language policies. In I. Liyanage (Ed.), Multilingual education yearbook 2018 (pp. 91–106). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Volet, S. E., & Ang, G. (1998). Culturally mixed groups on international campuses: An opportunity for intercultural learning. Higher Education Research and Development, 31(1), 21–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vu, N. T. T., & Burns, A. (2014). English as a medium of instruction: Challenges for Vietnamese tertiary lecturers. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 11(3), 1–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, W. (2015). Content and language integrated learning next in Asia: Evidence of learners’ achievement in CLIL education from a Taiwan tertiary degree programme. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 18(4), 361–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Liem Thi Tu Truong

  2. Hue University of Foreign Languages, Hue, Vietnam

    Liem Thi Tu Truong & Phuong Le Hoang Ngo

  3. University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Phuong Le Hoang Ngo

  4. Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Mai Xuan Nhat Chi Nguyen

Authors
  1. Liem Thi Tu Truong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Phuong Le Hoang Ngo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mai Xuan Nhat Chi Nguyen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liem Thi Tu Truong .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

    Phan Le Ha

  2. School of Education, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Doan Ba Ngoc

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Truong, L.T.T., Ngo, P.L.H., Nguyen, M.X.N.C. (2020). Assessment Practices in Local and International EMI Programmes: Perspectives of Vietnamese Students. In: Le Ha, P., Ba Ngoc, D. (eds) Higher Education in Market-Oriented Socialist Vietnam. International and Development Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46912-2_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46912-2_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-46911-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-46912-2

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation