Abstract
This study critically examined the effectiveness of English medium instruction (EMI) policy within the context of Korean higher education, putting a special focus on its implementation strategy. The data for this study were mainly drawn from student opinion surveys and focus group interviews conducted by the CTL (Center for Teaching and Learning) at KU. The research teams also carried out supplementary interviews with both professors and students. The results indicate that, although the EMI policy seems to have produced, in general, positive outcomes (i.e., with the overall satisfaction level with EMI or its overall effectiveness in improving students’ English proficiency), the compulsory enforcement of EMI without regard to students’/instructors’ language proficiency, the lack of a much-needed support system and appropriate instructors to conduct EMI classes, and the unilateral implementation of EMI across academic disciplines have brought about a number of side effects. Based on these findings, the study recommends for future EMI policy implementation (1) a more flexible approach, considering students’ language proficiency and career plans and the characteristics of various academic disciplines and (2) more thorough preparation to implement the EMI policy (i.e., examination of the human and financial resources available for the institution concerned).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Analysis of the survey showed that the university with the largest percentage of EMI at the undergraduate level conducted 61.6% of all classes in English, while 8 institutions had EMI percentages above 10% and 20 institutions had percentages above 5%. However, at most universities (74 of the 94 institutions providing EMI courses at the undergraduate level) EMI accounted for no more than 5% of all courses, and at 41 institutions it made up a mere 1% or less of available courses. On the other hand, of 58 four-year institutions offering EMI at the graduate level, 5 offered more than 50% of all classes in English, while 20 offered more than 10% of their graduate-level classes in EMI, and 29 institutions had an EMI percentage above 5%. In stark contrast to the undergraduate programs, only 7 universities reported that EMI made up 1% or less of their graduate-level classes. This indicates that the number of schools offering EMI in their graduate-level programs is lower than that of universities with EMI in their undergraduate programs, but the proportion of EMI to total courses is higher in graduate programs.
The CTL’s student opinion survey has undergone several changes, both in the way it was conducted and in its questionnaire, since it was first compiled in 2004. From the first semesters of 2004–2006, only students who volunteered to take part completed the mid-term survey, while all students were mandated to complete the survey at the end of the course. Since the second semester of 2006, the Center has stopped conducting the half-term survey and now conducts only the final survey at the end of each EMI course. Although the mid-term surveys were rather outdated, this study has made full use of them, since they included many questions on EMI. Some of the questions in the final surveys were changed annually, making their use difficult.
The CTL arranged two rounds of Focus Group Discussions on EMI with students and professors. Ten professors and 12 students took part in the first round, in December 2005, while 7 students took part in the second round, in 2009.
The interviews were conducted in Korean, with the exception of two foreign professors who spoke English. The interviews in Korean were translated by the authors.
To effectively implement this policy, the university has, since 2003, required professorial candidates to have the “ability to teach courses in English” as an indispensable qualification and evaluated new faculty members' eligibility to conduct EMI courses after 3 years of probationary employment. If a new faculty member fails to pass this evaluation, his or her contract will not be renewed (in theory, at least).
Most international students at KU came from Asian countries (e.g., China, Japan, Malaysia) with the majority of them from China. These students usually use English as a medium of communication in Korea.
Not an insignificant proportion of faculty take administrative positions or sabbatical leaves every semester, meaning that they do not teach classes (or teach fewer classes) during semesters. In the Korean context, those courses are usually taught by part-time instructors from outside the institution, who usually cannot conduct classes in English. This inevitably leads to a change in the language of instruction for the course.
References
Airey, J. (2003). Can you teach it in English? The language choice debate in Swedish higher education. Conference paper at integrating Language and Content. Meeting the challenge of a multilingual higher education Universiteit Maastricht, 23–25, October 2003 Maastricht, Netherlands.
Airey, J. (2009). Science, language and literacy: Case studies of learning in Swedish university physics. Doctoral dissertation, Uppsala University.
Airey, J., & Linder, C. (2006). Language and the experience of learning university physics in Sweden. Institute of Physics Publishing, 27, 553–560.
Airey, J., & Linder, C. (2007). Disciplinary learning in a second language: A case study from university physics. In R. Wilkinson & V. Zegers (Eds.), Researching content and language integration in higher education (pp. 161–171). Maastricht: Maastricht University Language Center.
Altbach, P. (2004). Globalization and the university: Myths and realities in an unequal world. Tertiary Education and Management, 10, 3–25.
Ammon, U., & McConnell, G. (2002). English as an academic language in Europe: A survey of its use in teaching (Duisburger Arbeiten zur Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft 48). Bern: Peter Lang.
Balla, J., & Penning, M. C. (1996). The perception of English-medium instruction by Tertiary-level Vocational Student in Hong Kong. Available from: http://sunzil.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/33/3300606.pdf retrieved 08.10.07.
Carroll-Boegh, A. (2005). Internationalisation and teaching through English: A Danish perspective. Educate, 5(2), 19–30.
Choi, J.-Y., & Kim, M.-R. (2007). A study on internationalization index of higher education [in Korean]. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology & Korean Educational Development Institute. CR 2007-85.
Coleman, J. A. (2006). English-medium teaching in European higher education. Language Teaching, 39(1), 1–14.
Eisenhardt, K. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550.
Erling, E. J., & Hilgendorf, S. K. (2006). Language policies in the context of German higher education. Language Policy, 5, 267–292.
Jellekjaer, G. O., & Westergaard, M. R. (2002). An exploratory survey of content learning through English at Scandinavian universities. In A. M. Simensen (Ed.), Teaching and learning foreign languages issues and ideas (pp. 47–61). Oslo: Unipub
Jon, J.-E., & Kim, E.-Y. (in process). What it takes to internationalize higher education in Korea and Japan: English-mediated courses and international students. In J. D. Palmer, A. C. Roberts, Y. H., Cho, & G. Ching (Eds.), Globalization’s influence upon the internationalization of East Asian higher institute. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kang, S.-Y., & Park, H.-S. (2004). Student beliefs and attitudes about English medium instruction: Report of questionnaire study. Yonsei Review of Educational Research, 17(1), 33–53.
Kang, S.-H., Suh, H., Shin, S.-K., Lee, J., Lee, H.-J., & Choi, J. (2007). Pre-service teachers’ evaluation on English-medium lectures. Journal of curriculum in Instruction, 11(2), 637–656 [in Korean].
Kim, M.-J. (2007). Employing the HPT process model to solve some problems of an English medium instruction. Journal of Educational Technology, 23(3), 31–57 [in Korean].
Klaassen, R. G., & Graaff, E. D. E. (2001). Facing innovation: Preparing lecturers for English-medium instruction in a non-native context. European Journal of Engineering Education, 26(3), 281–289.
Lassegard, J. P. (2006). International student quality and Japanese higher education reform. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(2), 119–140.
Maiworm, F., & Wächter, B. (2002). English-Language-taught degree programmes in European Higher Education: Trends and success factors. Bonn: Lemmens.
Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MoEHRD). (2007). Strategic plan of internationalization of Korean higher education: 2007 action plan. Unpublished government document [in Korean].
Moon, M., & Kim, K. (2001). A case of Korean higher education reform: the Brain Korea 21 project. Asia Pacific Education Review, 2(2), 96–105.
Naun, D. (2003). The impact of English as a global language on educational politicies and practices in the Asia-pacific region. TESOL Quarterly, 37(4), 589–613.
Olsen, L. A., & Huckin, T. H. (1990). Point-driven understanding in engineering lecture comprehension. English for Specific Purposes, 9, 33–47.
Park, H.-S. (2006). The effectiveness of English-mediated courses with engineering students. Journal of English Education, 33, 86–119 [in Korean].
Prophet, B., & Dow, P. (1994). Mother tongue language and concept development in science: A Botswana case study. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 7, 205–216.
Sercu, L. (2004). The introduction of English-medium instruction in university: A comparison of Flemish lecturers’ and student’ language skills, perceptions and attitudes. In Wilkinson (Ed.), Integrating content and language: Meeting the challenge of a multilingual higher education (pp. 547–555). Maastricht: Universitaire pers.
Sert, N. (2008). The language of instruction Dilemma in the Turkish context. An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 36(2), 156–171.
Shin, J. (2009). Building world-class research university: The Brain Korea 21 project. Higher Education, 58, 669–688. doi:10.1007/s10734-009-9219-8.
Smith, K. (2004). Studying in an additional language: What is gained, what is lost and what is assessed? In Wilkinson (Ed.), Integrating content and language: Meeting the challenge of a multilingual higher education (pp. 78–93). Maastricht: Universitaire pers.
Tsuneyoshi, R. (2005). Internationalization strategies in Japan. Journal of Research in International Education, 4(1), 65–86.
Vinke, A. A., Snippe, J., & Jochems, W. (1998). English-medium content courses in non-English Higher Education: A study of lecture experiences and teaching behaviours. Teaching in Higher Education, 3(3), 383–394.
Wächter, B., & Maiworm, F. (2008). English-taught programmes in European higher education. ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education. Bonn: Lemmens.
Yumei, J. (2010). The role of English language teaching in university internationalization in China. In E. Mainge & N. Foskett (Eds.), Globalization and internationalization in higher education: Theoretical, strategic and management perspectives (pp. 225–238).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Byun, K., Chu, H., Kim, M. et al. English-medium teaching in Korean higher education: policy debates and reality. High Educ 62, 431–449 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9397-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9397-4