A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education

Abstract

After outlining why a systematic review of research in English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education (HE) is urgently required, we briefly situate the rapidly growing EMI phenomenon in the broader field of research in which content and language have been considered and compare HE research outputs with those from other phases of education. An in-depth review of 83 studies in HE documents the growth of EMI in different geographical areas. We describe studies which have investigated university teachers' beliefs and those of students before attempting to synthesise the evidence on whether teaching academic subjects through the medium of English as a second language (L2) is of benefit to developing English proficiency without a detrimental effect on content learning. We conclude that key stakeholders have serious concerns regarding the introduction and implementation of EMI despite sometimes recognising its inevitability. We also conclude that the research evidence to date is insufficient to assert that EMI benefits language learning nor that it is clearly detrimental to content learning. There are also insufficient studies demonstrating, through the classroom discourse, the kind of practice which may lead to beneficial outcomes. This insufficiency, we argue, is partly due to research methodology problems both at the micro and macro level.at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi

Roles of Vocabulary Knowledge for Success in English‐Medium Instruction: Self‐Perceptions and Academic Outcomes of Japanese Undergraduates

“…Internationally, English proficiency has been recognized as a great concern for students and teachers in English‐medium instruction (EMI) programs (Macaro, Curle, Pun, An, & Dearden, ). Particularly, students’ inadequate second language (L2) proficiency has been considered one of the greatest barriers to success in EMI programs (Chapple, ; Choi, ; Floris, ; Tatzl, ).…”

Forum on English‐medium Instruction

“…In other words, the lower amount of EMI in the humanities compared to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects has typically been explained by the fact that they are more verbal and context‐bound in nature, which makes them more conducive to local language teaching. To make it all more complicated, Ernesto Macaro () said at a recent conference that some people argue that business studies is more appropriately delivered in English because of its links to corporate culture, with terms such as outsourcing , marketing , branding and the like often being borrowed in other languages. Others have argued that STEM subjects are more conducive to English because of their ingrained practice to push internationally.…”

At the Crossroads of TESOL and English Medium Instruction

“…It then seems only natural that “some incidental language learning is expected due to exposure but without any specific language learning goals” (Aguilar, , p. 726). (It deserves to be noted, however, that the truth of this belief in the development of English competency has not been proven and more research is needed; see, e.g., Macaro et al., ).…”

“…Other literature surveys exist, most notably and recently the Macaro et al. () systematic review of literature in EMI. Their rigorous approach included starting with an a priori definition of EMI (the one which appears in Table ), and including only studies which met their established criteria.…”