Developing the multilingual agenda in EMI higher educational institutions

Abstract

Universities in English medium instruction (EMI) settings are generally reticent about the linguistic diversity of their student body. Very often, a monolingual mindset dominates institutional thinking that casts linguistic diversity as obstacle rather than asset for the EMI curriculum. This has given rise to deficit models of English language provision in which language tutors are viewed as offering language support and ‘fixing’ language problems. It is timely to address these anachronistic views. In this paper, I do so by making the case for the multilingual agenda in EMI higher educational institutions. From a plurilingual perspective, I examine three narratives for developing the multilingual agenda: (1) ‘the institution as anglophone and multilingual’; (2) ‘students as plurilingual speakers’; and (3) ‘EMI curriculum and pedagogy informed by language-as-resource’. I argue that the significance of these narratives lies in treating them as interrelated and demonstrating their salience for enacting wider higher education agendas at the institutional level.

Lost in the EMI Trend: Language-Related Issues Emerging From EMI Practice

“…By contrast, the five classrooms that employ Chinese as the dominant language feature the silence of English, i.e., English barely has a role in constructing the classroom discourse. Both the ''English-only science'' and the ''silence of English'' highlight the need for adopting a multilingual approach (Preece, 2022). The approach should not be perceived and practiced as a compensation strategy against practitioners' or learners' language deficiency (Lin, 2020).…”

“…More importantly, including L1 is less about language creativity, but more about systematically leveraging L1 to help students comprehend disciplinary complexity. Similarly, Preece (2022, p. 109) delineated benefits in deploying students’ full linguistic repertoire in EMI practice, including “comprehending subject matter,”“acquiring knowledge and mastery of academic English and academic communication,”“delving deeper into subject matter,”“applying theory to practice,”“developing critical thinking,” and “fostering an intercultural disposition,”…”

Translanguaging in English-medium instruction (EMI): Examining English literature content classrooms

“…Initially, various concerns were raised among stakeholders about the employment of EMI in different contexts caused by the difficulties students faced (Kırkgöz, 2014). Recently, however, the 'E' in EMI has been challenged by researchers in local and global contexts with a growth of an understanding that monolingual policies of language instruction do not sufficiently grasp the nature of instruction in bilingual/multilingual contexts due to issues such as ignoring the rich linguistic repertoires of teachers and students in the EMI contexts (Sahan & Rose, 2021), lack of provision for equity for language marginalised students (Yılmaz, 2021), challenges experienced by subject lecturers (Deignan & Morton, 2022); lack of addressing diverse cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds (Preece, 2022), and shifting ideologies of the focus on language as an abstract system (Wei, 2022). Canagarajah (2011) mentions that multilinguals do not distinguish among languages in their repertoire and that these languages are considered a part of their integrated system.…”

Students’ Opinions about English-medium Instruction: A Case Study at Tishk International University

“…Communication, one of the basic needs of the modern world, has made EMI a necessity for many universities (Ibrahim, 2001). In addition, EMI for universities is a matter of prestige (Preece, 2022). Therefore, it is seen that many universities around the world have made the necessary changes.…”