Skip to main content

English-Medium Instruction

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Language Education Programs

Abstract

A large volume of research has examined learners’ problems and their solutions in the EMI context. However, there is still scarce attention to classroom interaction and how lecturers make decisions for better language practices in the tertiary EMI contexts. Classroom interaction, in this respect, provides us with crucial information to understand the reasons for students’ (in)comprehension and potential actions taken by the lecturer. This chapter attempts to explore how language-related episodes (LREs) occur and how they are managed during classroom-based interaction in two different academic programmes: Food Sciences and English Literature. The data were gathered through audio recordings of class interaction and observations. The audio-recorded data were transcribed and the identified LREs were coded for three characteristics: student learning, content delivery difficulties and teaching practices. The chapter suggests that if students are provided with specific linguistic modules within a collaborative curriculum, EMI practices may function better in university programmes.

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

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aguilar, M. (2017). Engineering lecturers’ views on CLIL and EMI. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 20(6), 722–735. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2015.1073664

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Airey, J. (2011). Talking about teaching in English: Swedish university lecturers’ experiences of changing teaching language. Ibérica: Revista de la Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos (AELFE), 22, 35–54. Retrieved from https://revistaiberica.org/index.php/iberica/article/view/317

  • Airey, J. (2012). I don’t teach language. The linguistic attitudes of physics lecturers in Sweden. AILA Review, 25, 64–79. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.25.05air

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Airey, J. (2016). EAP, EMI or CLIL? In K. Hyland & P. Shaw (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of English for academic purposes (pp. 95–107). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ament, J. R., & Pérez-Vidal, C. (2015). Linguistic outcomes of English medium instruction programmes in higher education: A study on Economics undergraduates at a Catalan University. Higher Learning Research Communications, 5(1), 47–68. https://doi.org/10.18870/hlrc.v5i1.239

  • An, J., Macaro, E., & Childs, A. (2019). Language focused episodes by monolingual teachers in English medium instruction science lessons. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 7(2), 166–191. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.18019.an

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bahous, R. N., Nabhani, M. B., & Bacha, N. N. (2014). Code-switching in higher education in a multilingual environment: A Lebanese exploratory study. Language Awareness, 23(4), 353–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2013.828735

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ball, P., & Lindsay, C. (2013). Language demands and support for English-medium instruction in tertiary education: Learning from a specific context. In A. Doiz, D. Lasagabaster, & J. M. Sierra (Eds.), English-medium instruction at universities: Global challenges (pp. 44–61). Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barwell, R. (2016). A Bakhtinian perspective on language and content integration: Encountering the alien word in second language mathematics classrooms. In T. Nikula, E. Dafouz, P. Moore, & U. Smit (Eds.), Conceptualising integration in CLIL and multilingual education (pp. 101–120). Multilingual Matters.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Basterrechea, M., & Leeser, M. J. (2019). Language-related episodes and learner proficiency during collaborative dialogue in CLIL. Language Awareness, 28(2), 97–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2019.1606229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basturkmen, H. (2018). Dealing with language issues during subject teaching in EMI: The perspectives of two accounting lecturers. TESOL Quarterly, 52(3), 692–700. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basturkmen, H., & Shackleford, N. (2015). How content lecturers help students with language: An observational study of language-related episodes in interaction in first year accounting classrooms. English for Specific Purposes, 37(1), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2014.08.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belhiah, H., & Elhami, M. (2015). English as a medium of instruction in the Gulf: When students and teachers speak. Language Policy, 14(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-014-9336-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Björkman, B. (2011). Pragmatic strategies in English as an academic lingua franca: Ways of achieving communicative effectiveness? Journal of Pragmatics, 43(4), 950–964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.07.033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breeze, R., & Roothooft, H. (2021). Using the L1 in university-level EMI: Attitudes among lecturers in Spain. Language Awareness, 30(2), 195–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2021.1903911

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byun, K., Chu, H., Kim, M., Park, I., Kim, S., & Jung, J. (2011). English-medium teaching in Korean higher education: Policy debates and reality. Higher Education, 62(4), 431–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9397-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cammarata, L., & Ceallaigh, T. Ó. (2018). Teacher education and professional development for immersion and content-based instruction: Research on programs, practices, and teacher educators. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 6(2), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.00004.cam

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. A. (2006). English medium instruction in European higher education. Language Teaching, 39(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1017/s026144480600320x

  • Costa, F. (2012). Evidence on form in ICLHE lectures in Italy. Evidence from English-medium science lectures by native speakers of Italian. AILA Review, 25, 30–47. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.25.03cos

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, F., & Coleman, J. A. (2013). A survey of English-medium instruction in Italian higher education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 16(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2012.676621

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010) CLIL: Content and language integrated learning. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W. (2012). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dafouz, E. (2011). English as the medium of instruction in Spanish contexts: A look at teacher discourses. In Y. Ruiz de Zarobe, J. M. Sierra, & F. Gallardo del Puerto (Eds.), Content and foreign language integrated learning: Contributions to multilingualism in European contexts (pp. 189–210). Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dafouz, E. (2018). English-medium instruction and teacher education programmes in higher education: Ideological forces and imagined identities at work. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(5), 540–552. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1487926

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dafouz, E., & Smit, U. (2016). Towards a dynamic conceptual framework for English-medium education in multilingual university settings. Applied Linguistics, 37(3), 397–415. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amu034

  • Dafouz, E., & Smit, U. (2020). ROAD-MAPPING English medium education in the internationalised university. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dearden, J., & Macaro, E. (2016). Higher education teachers’ attitudes towards English medium instruction: A three-country comparison. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 6(3), 455–486. https://doi.org/10.14746/sllt.2016.6.3.5

  • Doiz, A., & Lasagabaster, D. (2020). Dealing with language issues in English-medium instruction at university: A comprehensive approach. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(3), 257–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2020.1727409

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, R., Basturkmen, H., & Loewen, S. (2001). Preemptive focus on form in the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 35(3), 407–432. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, S., & Morrison, B. (2011). Meeting the challenges of English-medium higher education: The first-year experience in Hong Kong. English for Specific Purposes, 30(3), 198–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2011.01.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García, O. (2009). Emergent bilinguals and TESOL: What's in a name? TESOL Quarterly, 43(2), 322–326. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2009.tb00172.x

  • Gass, S. M., & Mackey, A. (2007). Input, interaction, and output in second language acquisition. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 175–199). Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. (2012). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses (4th ed.). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guarda, M., & Helm, F. (2017). A survey of lecturers’ needs and feedback on EMI training. In K. Ackerley, M. Guarda, & F. Helm (Eds.), Sharing perspectives on English-medium instruction (pp. 167–194). Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellekjær, G. O. (2010). Lecture comprehension in English-medium higher education. HERMES-Journal of Language and Communication in Business, 23(45), 11–34. https://doi.org/10.7146/hjlcb.v23i45.97343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2020). Incidental attention to academic language during content teaching in two EMI classes in South Korean high schools. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 48, 100921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100921

  • Hu, G., & Lei, J. (2014). English-medium instruction in Chinese higher education: A case study. Higher Education, 67(5), 551–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hüttner, J., Dalton-Puffer, C., & Smit, U. (2013). The power of beliefs: Lay theories and their influence on the implementation of CLIL programmes. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 16(3), 267–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2013.777385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inbar-Lourie, O., & Donitsa-Schmidt, S. (2020). EMI Lecturers in international universities: Is a native/non-native English-speaking background relevant? International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(3), 301–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1652558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inci-Kavak, V., & Kırkgöz, Y. (2021). A conversation-analytic approach to translanguaging practices in literature courses in Turkish higher education. In M. D. Devereaux & C. C. Palmer (Eds.), Teaching English language variation in the global classroom: Models and Lessons from around the world (pp. 63–73). Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Janesick, V. J. (2004). Stretching exercises for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, J. (2014). English as a lingua franca in the international university: The politics of academic English language policy. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, J., & Mauranen, A. (Eds.). (2019). Linguistic diversity on the EMI campus: Insider accounts of the use of English and other languages in universities within Asia, Australasia, and Europe. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joo, H., Yoon, H., Lee, K., Han, H., & Yoon, J. (2015). A study on the textbook authorisation system based on the 2015 revised national curriculum (Research report RRC 2015–9). Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, S., & Park, H. (2004). Instructor beliefs and attitudes about English medium instruction: Report of questionnaire study. Journal of Engineering Education Research, 7(1), 87–96. Retrieved from https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO200430523034078.page

  • Kırkgöz, Y., İnci-Kavak, V., Karakaş, A., & Panero, S. M. (2023). Translanguaging practices in Turkish EMI classrooms: Commonalities and differences across two academic disciplines. System, 113, 102982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.102982

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kırkgöz, Y., & Küçük, C. (2022). Investigating translanguaging practices in an English medium higher education context in Turkey: A case of two lecturers. In B. D. Sabato & B. Hughes (Eds.), Multilingual perspectives from Europe and beyond on language policy and practice (pp. 135–155). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuteeva, M. (2020). Revisiting the ‘E’ in EMI: Students’ perceptions of standard English, lingua franca and translingual practices. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(3), 287–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1637395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaPierre, D. (1994). Language output in a cooperative learning setting: Determining its effects on second language learning (M.A. thesis). University of Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasagabaster, D. (2018). Fostering team teaching: Mapping out a research agenda for English-medium instruction at university level. Language Teaching, 51(3), 400–416. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444818000113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lasagabaster, D., & Doiz, A. (2021). Language use in English-medium instruction at University. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Leeser, M. J. (2004). Learner proficiency and focus on form during collaborative dialogue. Language Teaching Research, 8, 55–82. https://doi.org/10.1191/1362168804lr134oa

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, D. C. (2013). Linguistic Hegemony or Linguistic Capital? Internationalization and English-medium Instruction at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In A. Doiz, D. Lasagabaster, & J. M. Sierra (Eds.), English-medium instruction at universities: Global challenges (pp. 65–83). Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liddicoat, A. J. (2016). Language planning in universities: Teaching, research and administration. Current Issues in Language Planning, 17(3–4), 231–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2016.1216351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ljosland, R. (2017). Teaching through English: Monolingual policy meets multilingual practice. HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business, 23(45), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.7146/hjlcb.v23i45.97349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loewen, S. (2011). Focus on form. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (Vol. 2, pp. 576–592). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macaro, E. (2018). English medium instruction. Oxford University Press.

    Book  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. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444817000350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald, C. A. (1990). Crossing the threshold into standard three in black education: The consolidated main report of the threshold project. Human Sciences Research Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackey, A. (2006). Feedback, noticing and instructed second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 27(3), 405–430. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ami051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margić, B. D., & Vodopija-Krstanović, I. (2018). Language development for English-medium instruction: Teachers’ perceptions, reflections and learning. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 35, 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.06.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. R. (2009). Genre and language learning: A Social semiotic perspective. Linguistics and Education, 20(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2009.01.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, E., & Parkinson, J. (2018). ‘We learn as we go’: How acquisition of technical vocabulary is supported during vocational training. English for Specific Purposes, 50, 14–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2017.11.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merriam, S. B. (1998) Qualitative research and case study applications in education. Jossey-Bass Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, L. (2009). Engineering lectures in a second language: What factors facilitate students’ listening comprehension. Asian EFL Journal, 11(2), 8–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morton, T. (2016). Conceptualizing and investigating teachers’ knowledge for integrating content and language in content-based instruction. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 4(2), 144–167. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.4.2.01mor

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Dowd, R. (2018). The training and accreditation of teachers for English medium instruction: An overview of practice in European universities. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(5), 553–563. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1491945

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pecorari, D., & Malmström, H. (2018). At the crossroads of TESOL and English medium instruction. TESOL Quarterly, 52(3), 497–515. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., Irvine, A., & Malmström, H. (2011). English for academic purposes at Swedish universities: Teachers’ objectives and practices. Ibérica: Revista de la Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos (AELFE), 22, 55–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennycook, A. (2017). Translanguaging and semiotic assemblages. International Journal of Multilingualism, 14(3), 269–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2017.1315810

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, H. (2021). Students’ language-related challenges of studying through English: What EMI teachers can do. In D. Lasagabaster & A. Doiz (Eds.), Language use in English-medium instruction at university (pp. 145–166). Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, H., Curle, S., Aizawa, I., & Thompson, G. (2019). What drives success in English medium taught courses? The interplay between language proficiency, academic skills, and motivation. Studies in Higher Education, 45(11), 2149–2161. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1590690

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schleppegrell, M. (2007). The linguistic challenges of mathematics teaching and learning: A research review. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 23(2), 139–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573560601158461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schleppegrell, M. (2009). Language in academic subject areas and classroom instruction: What is academic language and how can we teach it. In workshop on The role of language in school learning sponsored by The National Academy of Sciences, Menlo Park, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt-Unterberger, B. (2018). The English-medium paradigm: A conceptualisation of English-medium teaching in higher education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(5), 527–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1491949

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shegar, C., Zhang, L. J., & Low, E. L. (2013). Effects of an input–output mapping practice task on EFL learners’ acquisition of two grammatical structures. System, 41(2), 443–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.03.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smit, U., & Dafouz, E. (2012). Integrating content and language in higher education: An introduction to English-medium policies, conceptual issues and research practices across Europe. AILA Review, 25(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.25.01smi

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Söderlundh, H. (2012). Global policies and local norms: Sociolinguistic awareness and language choice at an international university. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2012(216), 87–109. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2012-0041

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spall, S. (1998). Peer debriefing in qualitative research: Emerging operational models. Qualitative Inquiry, 4(2), 280–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/107780049800400208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spillett, M. A. (2003). Peer debriefing: Who, what, when, why, how. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(3), 36–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spolsky, B. (2009). Language management. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (1998). Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French immersion students working together. The Modern Language Journal, 82(3), 320–337. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb01209.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tatzl, D. (2011). English-medium masters’ programmes at an Austrian university of applied sciences: Attitudes, experiences and challenges. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(4), 252–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.08.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tong, F., & Shi, Q. (2012). Chinese-English bilingual education in China: A case study of college science majors. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 15(2), 165–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2011.607921

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viriri, E., & Viriri, M. (2013). The prevalence of code-switching in secondary schools where English is the official medium of instruction: A case study of Buhera south district. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 2(1), 227–234. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.4.12.2472-2476

  • Wei, L. (2018). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics, 39(1), 9–30. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amx039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. (2001). Learner-generated attention to form. Language Learning, 51, 303–346. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.2001.tb00020.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodward-Kron, R. (2002). Disciplinary learning through writing: An investigation into the writing development of undergraduate education students (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Wollongong.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xhemaili, M. (2017). The influence of mother tongue (Albanian) in learning and teaching EFL (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Kolegji AAB, Pristina, Kosovo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yip, D. Y., Tsang, W. K., & Cheung, S. P. (2003). Evaluation of the effects of medium of instruction on the science learning of Hong Kong secondary students: Performance on the science achievement test. Bilingual Research Journal, 27(2), 295–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2003.10162808

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vildan İnci Kavak .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

İnci Kavak, V., Kırkgöz, Y. (2023). English-Medium Instruction. In: Tajeddin, Z., Griffiths, C. (eds) Language Education Programs. Language Policy, vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38754-8_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38754-8_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-38753-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-38754-8

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics