Institutional Supports for Language Development through English‐Medium Instruction: A Factor Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to build and test a framework of four factors stakeholders in postgraduate higher education institutions in Kazakhstan perceive as supporting or hindering language development in English‐medium programs. Data in this mixed‐methods study were collected through student surveys and interviews with students, faculty and administration from six universities across Kazakhstan. Factor analysis confirmed the value of structural, pedagogical, sociolinguistic, and cultural factors for language development. Quantitative and qualitative data demonstrated that respondents highly valued structural factors such as academic mobility abroad and having an opportunity to interact with international faculty. However, they were less satisfied with national and university policies on the implementation of EMI. Additional structural factors including: a significant lack of pedagogical trainings, lack of collaboration with EFL instructors for curriculum development, and low overall English language proficiency of faculty and students, led to pedagogical challenges in classrooms. These challenges were somewhat mitigated by translanguaging practices. The sociolinguistic factors scale demonstrated that out of three languages, Russian was the most prevalent on campuses, which, according to qualitative data, creates pressure to maintain English. Finally, the cultural factors data revealed that students were highly motivated for their ideal self, whereas institutions strived to be research‐oriented and included in the international ranking lists. Based on these findings, it is recommended that curricula be adjusted to include spaces for multilingual practices, and that faculty be provided support in teaching in English through professional development courses.

Navigating the Field of English Higher Education in Kazakhstan: Advocating for Habitus and Capital Engagement of Speakers of Languages other than English

“…Interestingly, EMI research in Kazakhstani downplays professors' linguistic adaptation as "pedagogical habitus engagement" and how their "embodied cognitive and corporeal habitus" increases or devalues their capitals (Fataar & Feldman, 2017, p. 188); they merely point to the factors that influence EMI teaching and the effectiveness of approaches and methods in language education and pedagogy. For example, Goodman et al (2022) found structural, pedagogical, sociolinguistic, and cultural factors that need to be considered when implementing EMI interventions, while Satayev et al (2022) emphasised the crucial role of content and languageintegrated learning (CLIL). Polatova et al ( 2020) investigated the effectiveness of digital tools and mobile applications in improving students' communicative competence in business English courses.…”

“My expectation did not meet reality”: challenges of undergraduate students in English-medium instruction in Kazakhstan

“…In recent decades, scholars have extensively explored the different dimensions of EMI programs. These include (1) language policy and planning (Karabassova, 2021; Kerimkulova et al ., 2023; Sah and Fang, 2023; Goodman and Karabassova, 2018), (2) teaching and learning processes (Goodman et al ., 2023; Richards and Pun, 2022), (3) perceptions of different stakeholders towards EMI (Al-Riyami and Dayananda, 2022; Goodman et al ., 2022), (4) challenges and concerns (Hajar and Mhamed, 2021; Hajar et al ., 2023; Pun et al ., 2023; Sarmurzin et al ., 2023), (5) teachers' perspectives and training (Deroey, 2023; Macaro and Han, 2020; Karabassova, 2018), (6) student motivation and attitudes (Kojima, 2021; Turhan and Kirkgöz, 2018), (7) discourse of emotions (Hillman, 2023; Sah, 2023a, b; Yuan et al ., 2023), and so on. Initial research conducted in regions such as Hong Kong, where English has been the primary medium of instruction for a considerable period, indicated predominantly favorable perceptions towards EMI, as reported by Evans and Morrison (2011).…”

Translation Service Implementation in Cloud: Automation Trends in English Translation Industry

“…The researchers are conducting a comparative experimental study based on the above example. The following are the methods used to plan, collect data, and evaluate the implementation of the survey (Aitzhanova et al, 2022). The study is divided into six phases, including pre-experimental grouping, pre-experimental testing, study implementation, post-experimental testing, questionnaires and interviews, data processing, and analysis of results.…”