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Effects of Learning and Teaching in a Foreign Language
European Journal of Engineering Education
Abstract
In countries with a small ‘language area’, internationalization may lead to increased use of foreign languages in engineering education. This paper investigates the possible effects of learning and teaching in a foreign language. To arrive at an answer, it reviews research into the relationship between academic success and foreign language proficiency. It concludes that, for engineering programmes, learning and teaching in a foreign language will reduce the quality of education. Not only should a considerable drop in study results be expected, but also an increased workload for both students and teachers.
... Changes in the educational landscape in Europe due to what was deemed "dramatic transformative processes centered on internationalization, marketization, competition and standardization" (Hultgren et al., 2015, p. 1) resulted in the extensive implementation of instruction conducted through the English language at institutions of HE in contexts where English is not the national language. Still, over ten years had passed from the first reference to EMI from the Netherlands (Jochems, 1991;Zonneveld, 1991) before publications under headings such as EMI and integrating content and language in higher education (ICLHE) began to proliferate across Europe. ...
... As noted above, we need to look back to the end of the 20 th century to get a sense of the focused research on EMI (or, at the time, integrated content and language -ICL) in the Netherlands. Given its status as a "small language area" (Jochems, 1991) and historical success with English language use for HE (Wilkinson, 2012), it is not surprising that the foundation for EMI research stems from this northern European country. Years before other European researchers were actively investigating what would become an explosive new area, researchers in the Netherlands were laying the foundation. ...
... Two of the first Dutch researchers to highlight the construct of EMI were Wim Jochems and Adriana A. Vinke. In light of the final implementation of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and a push for European integration, Jochems and Vinke began to investigate the effects of teaching and learning through a second language (Jochems, 1991;Klaassen & Snippe, 1999;Vinke, 1995;Vinke & Jochems, 1992, 1993. Moving from content courses conducted in Dutch to English set off alarms. ...
... Regarding our first neighboring country, in their overview of EMI in the Netherlands, Gabriëls and Wilkinson (2024) first refer to the negative effects found in the study of Vinke (1995), who showed a detrimental effect for Dutch students in learning content in English compared to Dutch. Similar adverse effects were reported by Jochems (1991) and Jochems et al. (1996). In their comparative study of the implications of learning through EMI on study achievement, de Vos et al. (2020) observed a significant negative effect for Dutch students learning through English compared with Dutch students studying an identical programme through their first language. ...
... From the perspective of English learning, Alpert points out that emotional factors can affect learners' learning attitudes, which may promote students' learning, stimulate initiative, and cause negative emotions [17]. Arnold and Brown believe that the emotion in language learning is related to learners themselves, including their anxiety, depression, confidence, motivation and personality [18]. ...
... The Netherlands has long been one of the countries in the forefront of the now global trend towards English-medium instruction (EMI). It was one of the first countries to initiate EMI in a full undergraduate programme, as opposed to incidental EMI courses within a programme largely in the local first language (L1), that is, in Dutch (Jochems 1991). The early implementation of EMI programmes predates European harmonization under the Bologna Declaration of the common first phase (Bachelor's) and second phase (Master's) levels. ...
With the exponential growth of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) provision in higher education, which is rapidly outpacing empirical research, this book outlines approaches to EMI in a range of regional contexts to exemplify different interpretations of implementing EMI policy in higher education. The book provides an in-depth understanding of evolving interpretations, challenges and current policies on a global level, through the exploration of case studies from Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam. The case studies, which outline how EMI policy is implemented, are presented in three sections, at the national, institutional and classroom levels (macro, meso, and micro), using a variety of research tools, including policy analysis, stakeholders’ conceptualisations of EMI, observations of EMI in practice and context analysis.
... Given the lack of previous research on EMI, the first studies in the Netherlands were inspired by investigations focusing on international teaching assistants (ITAs) in the United States and tend to concentrate on ITA's English proficiency levels and their students' judgements of their intelligibility and 1 comprehensibility. Therefore, Dutch researchers concentrated on lecturer performance and student achievement (Jochems, 1991;Klaassen & Snippe, 1999;Vinke, 1995;Vinke & Jochems, 1992, 1993) (for details, see Chapter 2). ...
This book presents a state-of-the-art of EMI research in European higher education over the last twenty years, offering a comprehensive comparative analysis toward identifying gaps in our understanding of relevant theories, research, and practice.
Molino, Dimova, Kling, and Larsen argue for the need to take stock of the progression of EMI research in European HE in order to consolidate scholarship and better inform EMI implementation in new contexts. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of EMI implementation, including policies, attitudes, language use, assessment, training, learning outcomes, identity, and intercultural communication across five different countries: Denmark, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. The book brings together the authors' collective work on an annotated database of over 200 resources, featuring a range of publications of varying format, type, and language, as well as information on relevant research questions, methodologies, and findings. This detailed approach allows in-depth discussions on the most widely researched areas in EMI as well as those under-explored toward outlining a way forward for future research in both the European higher education context and on a global scale.
This book will be key reading for scholars working in English-medium instruction, World Englishes, English as an international language, English as a lingua franca, and applied linguistics.
... Earlier studies, like Jochems (1991), Snippe and Jochems (1995) and Jochems, Snippe, Smid, and Verweij (1996) show performance deterioration when students receive instruction in a language other than their mother tongue. They mention that in these cases, students take longer to graduate and that English instruction causes extra workload for both them and their instructors. ...
Implementing English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Latin American countries contributes to reducing language exchange isolation in the region and helps prepare higher education students for future labor opportunities. However, one of the main concerns around EMI is whether English instruction could negatively affect content acquisition. This paper examines if the performance of native Spanish speakers is affected by EMI. Specifically, it discusses experiences from finance and industrial organization courses given to industrial engineers at a Chilean university. The results of a multivariate analysis of tests and final grades show that performance differences can mainly be attributed to students’ performance in previous courses; only on rare occasions do language, gender, and attendance explain performance differences.
... Additionally, there are evidences shows that the students found it hard to perform well due to language proficiency. For instance, Jochems (1991) reported that should foreign language have been taken a place in education; this could lead towards a low performance of the students. Besides, students with higher levels of social engagement were found to increase their probability of success, while higher levels of academic engagement when not accompanied by high-level social engagement are negatively related to the probability of success (Hu, 2011). ...
CLIMATE CHANGE AND CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY VOLUME I
Selection of papers presented at the 5th Regional Conference on Campus Sustainability 2018 (5RCCS2018)
20-21 March 2018 Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Teaching FL pronunciation in the globalization era. Does it make sense?
This article discusses the relationship between English language proficiency and academic success in universities and colleges in which English is the language of instruction. It points out some of the difficulties associated with determining this relationship and summarizes previous investigations of the issue. It is argued that while the research clearly shows that many factors other than English proficiency are important to academic success, there may be for each institution, or even for each program within an institution, a minimum level below which lack of sufficient proficiency in English contributes significantly to lack of academic success. Such a level can be determined by each institution individually, but until it is determined, a number of steps can be taken for establishing reasonable English language proficiency requirements.
This retrospective analysis seeks to explain why a group of children who had been matched for English proficiency and socioeconomic status (SES) when they started a school year, and who were subsequently taught and tested through the medium of English, differed in their school achievement at the end of that year. Factors considered include relative productive competence in English morphology, syntax, and vocabulary; verbosity; patterns of social interaction; first language performance; and personality factors. Extensive intra-group variability is reported, but several generalizations are drawn which have relevance for ESL curriculum organization and instructional practice: vocabulary knowledge is the single most important area of second language (L2) competence when learning content through that language is the dependent variable; grammatical accuracy is of little importance to students' immediate academic needs; communicative competence in social interaction does not guarantee communicative competence in academic situations; and the use of the first language (L1) enhances conceptual development, even when it is tested through the medium of the L2.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is the most widely used measure to determine the extent to which international students have developed the English language skills necessary for successful college-level study in the United States and Canada; a number of studies have examined the relationship between TOEFL score and academic success. In the study reported in this article, the records of 376 international graduate students at the State University of New York at Albany were analyzed for relationships among TOEFL score, grade point average, graduate credits earned, and academic major. TOEFL score was not found to be an effective predictor of academic success, as measured by grade point average, for this group of graduate students. However, there was a significant correlation between TOEFL score and graduate credits earned, and there were substantial differences among academic majors in the correlation between TOEFL score and grade point average. Directions for further research are discussed.
The validity of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was examined in relation to prediction of success of 50 Asian students who had completed master's programs in engineering, chemistry, or mathematics. A significant correlation (r = .40, p < .01) was obtained between scores from the TOEFL and overall grade point average. A regression equation using scores from the TOEFL and Verbal section of the Graduate Record Examination was developed.