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This article examines the relationship between Japanese undergraduate students’ English language proficiency and English language-related challenges faced when studying an international business course through English. It also examines English language proficiency thresholds students need to reach in each academic skill (i.e. reading, listening, speaking and writing) to experience a lower level of linguistic challenges. A total of 264 students were surveyed in Tokyo, Japan, and 13 follow-up interviews were conducted. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the underlying factors in the EMI (English medium of instruction) Challenges Scale loaded onto a priori assumptions of dimensions falling along skill-based constructs. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed that English language proficiency (i.e. TOEIC score) was a statistically significant predictor of challenges in the EMI programme. While no clear discernible threshold was observed, the differences in perceived ease of study at different levels of English proficiency influenced the challenges students reported for each academic skill. Interview data uncovered the multi-faceted nature of how the thresholds are determined not only by language proficiency but also by other factors, such as prior content knowledge, motivation, and the classroom learning environment. Practical implications for pedagogy are also discussed.

English medium instruction (EMI) is a growing phenomenon in higher education contexts across the globe, and EMI programs are expanding rapidly in Japan as part of their internationalization efforts. This paper explores the relationship between student selfbeliefs and their success in an EMI course within a bilingual business program. It analyzed direct measures of content course and preparatory course performances, proficiency, and questionnaire data from 139 students completing an English-mediated International Business course at a university in Japan. These data were supplemented by interviews with seven students. Multiple linear regression analysis found L2 proficiency, preparatory course performance, and self-efficacy to predict success in the EMI course. Our qualitative findings support these results, indicating that students with stronger efficacy put forth more effort and see course activities as development opportunities. These findings highlight the need for efficacy development opportunities for students entering EMI study.

Washback concerns the impact of tests and assessments on materials, teachers, and learners. Thirty years of research has shown that testing and assessment have influenced language teaching significantly. Teaching English as an international language (TEIL) is a quickly developing and practical new reality that is beginning to influence language assessment and to challenge the use of L1 speaker norms for English language proficiency tests such as IELTS and TOEFL. While the recent, cumulative knowledge of EIL is making those norms increasingly irrelevant, they still have significant impact on World English (WE) users. In this way EIL, which is not bound to a particular variety of English, allows for communication to occur according to context and is at the forefront of change in assessment. Thus, the washback effect in TEIL is driving assessment, while being influenced by the continued power of international language tests.

This paper charts the development of a small departmental writing center at a university in Japan. The paper discusses the results from two semesters of an ongoing action research project focused on improving the usage of the center. Faced with significant constraints and decreasing usage, the project used student survey data collected at the end of each semester to drive developments to the center. This led to a shift from using a face-to-face peer model for the writing center, to organizing it as an online writing lab. The article demonstrates the potential benefits of moving online for centers facing significant constraints, and the importance of using data for decision making in driving center development.