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Investigating policy and implementation of English-medium instruction in higher education institutions in China: A report by EMI Oxford Research Group in collaboration with the British Council in China

  • April 2020
  • Publisher: British Council
  • ISBN: 978-0-86355-972-3
Authors:
Heath Rose at University of Oxford
Heath Rose
Jim Mckinley at University College London
Jim Mckinley
Xin Xu at University of Oxford
Xin Xu
Sihan Zhou at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Sihan Zhou
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Abstract

The internationalisation of Chinese higher education (HE) has accelerated at a rapid pace over the past two decades, spurred by numerous government initiatives. At present, there is a pressing need for an investigation into English medium instruction (EMI) implementation across Chinese universities. In response, this report aims to take stock of the current state of EMI policy implementation in Chinese HE to better understand EMI provision and to inform future EMI growth. It explores multiple levels of policy implementation, alongside an investigation of implementation affordances and challenges. See report here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/K155_Investigating_policy_implementation_EMI_China_web.pdf
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Investigating*policy*and*implementation*
of*English-medium*instruction*in*higher*
education*institutions*in*China*
Heath&Rose,&Jim&McKinley,&Xin&Xu,&Sihan&Zhou&
For full open-access report go to:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/K155_Inves
tigating_policy_implementation_EMI_China_web.pdf
... Moreover, the use of English as a medium to impart knowledge in HE is perceived as a key element for internationalizing Chinese HE. In a review article, Rose et al. (2020) identified and documented some prominent discourse that underpinned the formulation of institutional policy regarding EMI. The policy consists of several motivating factors including cultivating student talents, responding to globalization and promoting internationalization, improving the quality of teaching and curricula, all of which inspired the establishment of EMI in HEIs. ...
... There have been multiple models developed for EMI policy implementation in China (Rose et al., 2020). For example, to maintain and consolidate the operation of English, EMI was mandated for 5-10% of the undergraduate courses in 2001, documented in the 2001 policy directives titled 'Opinions on strengthening undergraduate teaching work in HE and improving teaching quality' that intended to spur global competitiveness among local talents (Dang et al., 2021;Macaro et al., 2018). ...
... After that, EMI programs experienced a rapid growth in Chinese HE. By 2006, 132 out of 136 universities in mainland China had programmed EMI courses (Rose et al., 2020). For succeeding EMI programs, the Ministry of Education (MoE), China administered 'Outline of national medium and long-term education reform and development plan [2010][2011][2012][2013][2014][2015][2016][2017][2018][2019][2020]' that further underscored the necessity to ingrain internationalization of HE by introducing and increasing EMI courses (Ministry of Education, as cited in Dang et al., 2021). ...
English Medium Instruction in Higher Education: An Attempt to Understanding Teacher Identity in Malaysia and China
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2022
Universities in Asia have observed a conspicuously large-scale adoption of English Medium Instruction (EMI), particularly in China and Malaysia. With the requirement that content teachers conduct classes in Chinese and Malaysian universities, content teachers' identities would be reshaped into that of EMI teachers. However, the nature of policy directives concerning EMI, code-switching to mother tongue in the classrooms, the dearth of professional development programs, the intervention of local materials and instructional deficiency of the teachers, and nationalism have complicated the development of content teachers' identity as EMI teachers. The current study aimed at understanding the identities of university teachers involved in EMI courses in Malaysian and Chinese universities. Undertaking a systematic review of the published studies concerning the EMI phenomenon in Malaysian and Chinese universities, and discussing the findings in the light of the dialogical approach proposed by Akkerman and Meijer (2011), the study reported that tensions between teachers' identity as content teachers on one hand and as EMI teachers on other hand, offered multiple-positions (I-positions) that teachers need to interpret and evaluate through dialogues. The dialogues have continued among several I-positions. Eventually, the coherent identity of the EMI teachers developed as bilingual teachers, which has been incongruent with the policy directives. The implication of this study would help the stakeholders rethink bilingual higher education where English along with the national language would prevail to pave the way for knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the study set ground for future researchers to consider such an area for empirical exploration since teacher identity in conjunction with EMI has been relatively less explored. Resumen Las universidades de Asia han adoptado a gran escala el uso del inglés como medio de instrucción, inglés, particularmente en China y Malasia. Con la estipulación dirigida a los profesores de contenido para impartir clases en universidades chinas y malasias, la identidad de los profesores de contenido se moldearía como profesores de EMI. Sin embargo, encontramos que la naturaleza de las directivas de política con respecto a EMI, el cambio a la lengua materna en las aulas, la escasez de programas de desarrollo profesional, la intervención de materiales locales y la deficiencia en la instrucción de los maestros, y el nacionalismo producen dificultades para desarrollar el contenido. Sobre la base del "enfoque dialógico'' sugerido por Akkerman y Meijer (2011), el estudio profundizó en que las tensiones entre la identidad de los docentes de contenido por un lado y los docentes de EMI por otro, engendran múltiples entidades que los docentes necesitan interpretar y evaluar a través de diálogos continuos entre varias posiciones. Finalmente, la identidad coherente de los profesores de EMI se desarrolló como profesores bilingües, lo que ha sido incongruente con las directivas de la política.
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... 399). EMI is understood as a policy or an educational system of linguistic and disciplinary knowledge in language education (Fang & Liu, 2020;Jiang et al., 2019;Rose et al., 2020). Although the growth of EMI has not been without controversy, EMI is regarded as a driving force for promoting internationalisation and competing university ranking (Fang, 2018). ...
... For example, multiple important national policies, such as the Double First-Class Plan (Peters & Besley, 2018) for building first-class world universities and building first-class world disciplines, has emphasised international research and education in HE, which has further promoted the growth of EMI programmes. With regard to the policy level, many universities in China include 'international communication and cooperation capacity' and 'global vision and awareness' as the aim of implementing EMI programmes (Rose et al., 2020). ...
EMI Teachers' perceptions and practices regarding culture teaching in Chinese higher education
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2023
Although the potential of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) for intercultural learning and teaching is acknowledged, few studies have explored the teaching of culture in EMI programmes in higher education contexts. Thus, this study examined the perceptions and practices that six EMI teachers from a variety of disciplines have of culture and cultural instruction at a Chinese university. Data were obtained from 24 classroom observations and six post-observation interviews. Drawing on Larzen-Ostermark's tripartite culture-teaching orientations and Rasouli and Moradkhani's culture-teaching taxonomy, the findings revealed that teachers with a humanities and social sciences background had a fluid and dynamic view regarding the understanding of culture, while teachers with a science, technology, engineering and mathematics background did not recognise the need to incorporate cultural instruction into their EMI classes. In analysing classroom data, five categories of cultural instruction were identified: contrast, authentic material, groupwork, codeswitching and guided discussion of culture. The five categories are mainly in line with the affective and action orientations in Larzen-Ostermark's three-orientation framework. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of the study's findings for EMI policymakers and EMI teacher training programmes.
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... As explained by , compared with other countries, China, despite being relatively late in introducing EMI programs at the tertiary level, has recently experienced exponential growth Hu & McKay, 2012). In general, EMI is initiated and implemented in a top-down manner in China (see Han, 2020, andRose et al., 2020, for a comprehensive overview of EMI development in China). In 2001, China's Ministry of Education (MoE) issued 12 policy initiatives to improve the quality of undergraduate programs in tertiary education in China (Ministry of Education, 2001). ...
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... Furthermore, the training helped teachers acquire basic skills for publishing academic articles in English (Başıbek et al., 2014). In addition, Rose et al. (2020) confirmed that training opportunities enable EMI teachers to develop general satisfaction with their teaching experience. ...
Training on English as a Medium of Instruction: Moroccan Public Secondary School Math and Science Teachers
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
This study examines the experiences and perceptions of Moroccan public secondary school math and science teachers on training for English as a medium of instruction (EMI). In order to meet this objective, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six EMI math and science teachers from Moroccan public secondary schools in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra. The findings revealed that there was a shortage of training on EMI. All of the EMI teachers did not receive specialized EMI pre-service training. In addition, three undertook a short EMI in-service training, mainly at the beginning of their EMI teaching careers. Additionally, all of these EMI teachers explicitly expressed their need for future training for continuous improvement. Five of them desired additional training in the English language to improve their language proficiency. Three of these five teachers specifically wanted to learn scientific terminologies in English. Furthermore, one of these three teachers wanted to develop her speaking skills to communicate more effectively with students. Differently from the stream, an EMI teacher needed training in both the English language and EMI teaching methodologies. Overall, this study offers insights into this under-researched context of the EMI program in Morocco and provides recommendations for future research.
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Epistemic (in)justice in English medium instruction: transnational teachers’ and students’ negotiation of knowledge participation through translanguaging
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2023
Informed by a combined framework of “translanguaging” and “epistemic injustice”, this paper examines how a group of teachers and students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds negotiated their knowledge participation through translanguaging in an English medium instruction (EMI) degree program at a Chinese university. Data were collected over a 12-month classroom ethnography, including lesson recordings, stimulated recalls, and reflexive journals. A thematic analysis of the data reveals that transnational teachers and students actively employed translanguaging to challenge the prevailing hegemony of Western thinking and knowing in the EMI environment. We identified three key translanguaging capacities that facilitated transformative knowledge negotiation: (1) counteracting testimonial injustice; (2) providing hermeneutical resources; and (3) enhancing the sensitivity of trans-epistemic practices. Our study attests to the value of translanguaging as a transformative strategy to generate epistemic access for transnational students engaged in EMI learning, informing efforts to foster educational equity in the internationalization of higher education and to empower transnational teachers and students to reclaim their epistemic contribution capacities in the EMI context. Keywords: English medium instruction; epistemic (in)justice; knowledge participation; translanguaging; transnational teachers and students
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EMI in East Asia
Chapter
  • Aug 2023
East Asia covers a very large area, and includes a large and diverse population (Sano et al., 2023). This chapter reviews the EMI situation in this context and presents an original study conducted in Japan, which is then examined for its implications for the wider region. Findings from this study suggest that students choose EMI courses to improve their English and employability, while the most frequent response from teachers to the same question was that they did not “choose” it—it was required by their institution. A variety of difficulties are noted, and a number of recommendations for dealing with difficulties suggested.
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Using Online Peer Assessment Activities to Foster Student-Centred Learning in Two Undergraduate EMI Courses
Chapter
  • Jul 2023
Student-centred learning (SCL), which highlights the importance of learning environments over direct instruction for collaborative and interactive learning, has enjoyed growing popularity in English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms. To enhance SCL engagement, students may need to be empowered with autonomy, scaffolding and an authentic audience (Lee & Hannafin, Educ Technol Res Dev 64:707–734, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9422-5). However, little research has been conducted to examine SCL effectiveness in EMI contexts. This study investigates how well online peer assessment (OPA) activities, in the form of Moodle workshops, promotes SCL in two different undergraduate courses for English majors in an EMI university in China. Compared to traditional instruction, the OPA activities enabled students to be exposed to examples of language in use that were provided by peers. Impacts of OPA activities (in terms of autonomous learning, audience awareness in writing, and feedback focus on disciplinary issues) were evaluated by administering pre- and post-intervention questionnaire surveys, and analysing student submissions and peer feedback. The findings suggest the enhancement of students’ autonomous learning and audience awareness in writing after participating in the OPA activities. The feedback focus provided by assessors to those assessed was found to be similar between two sets of OPA activities. The findings also indicate the importance of learning environments in fostering SCL in EMI contexts.KeywordsEnglish-medium instruction (EMI)Student-centred learning (SCL)Online peer assessment (OPA)Higher education in China
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English Medium Instruction: Expanding Notions of English Hegemony and Colonization
Chapter
Full-text available
  • Nov 2022
This Chapter provides the background to the EMI research undertaken which has provided the evidence base for this book. It acknowledges internationalization of higher education within the current neoliberal global economy, and the swift move in the countries of the Expanding Circle towards EMI delivery as a strategy to expand academics’ and universities’ global agendas. This Chapter points to the theoretical and methodological limitations in current EMI research as convenient and unsystematic. Consequently, the knowledge generation to inform EMI teaching is limited. It concludes with an outline of the structure of the book highlighting the key foci for each Chapter.
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Untold stories of pedagogy in English-medium instruction programs in higher education: From policy to practice
Chapter
Full-text available
  • Jan 2024
The introduction of English-medium instruction (EMI) has in recent years undergone the explosive growth in higher education across the globe. This phenomenal expansion has attracted a growing body of research on issues related to EMI, including stakeholders’ perceptions of EMI benefits and challenges, the impact of EMI on students’ language and academic achievement and classroom language practices. Notwithstanding a considerable amount of literature published on these issues, hardly any studies have investigated the position of pedagogy discussed in the top-down policy as well as its interpretation and implementation at the micro level so far. As emphasized by Liddicoat (2014), pedagogy appears to be neglected in language policy in general and EMI policy in particular. Policymakers do not apparently assume full responsibility for adequately addressing pedagogy in the policy. As a result, pedagogical practices are left for micro-level actors without any top-down guidelines or support. Drawing on Ricento and Hornberger’s (1996) language planning and policy model, this study aims to fill this gap by examining the place of pedagogy addressed in the EMI policy and actual pedagogical practices conducted in the classroom within the Vietnamese higher education context. A variety of data sources were collected through national policies and/or directives in relation to EMI, university-level documentation (EMI curricula, course outlines and EMI promotional materials), individual interviews with 10 university administrators (Faculty/Department Deans/Heads) and with 15 content lecturers and five classroom observations at 10 Vietnamese universities. The findings revealed that there was a contradiction between pedagogy stipulated in the national and institutional policies and actual pedagogical practices identified in the EMI classes. The study found that misalignment in practice arose as a consequence of the inadequacy or absence of the national policy guidelines. The study discusses pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research regarding pedagogical practices in the EMI setting.
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An Exploration of the Teaching-Research Nexus in Humanities and Social Sciences in Higher Education
Technical Report
Full-text available
  • Jul 2018
This two-armed project critically examines the existing evidence base and addresses evidence gaps related to a possible relationship between teaching and research in higher education, particularly focusing on academic work in the humanities and social sciences. The study considers the significance of terminology such as 'teaching-informed research' and questions whether the concept of a teaching-research nexus in higher education appropriately represents contemporary reality in higher education. The first arm of the project is a scoping exercise involving interviews with senior academic staff and 213 questionnaire responses from academic staff at ten universities in England and Wales. The universities were selected to be geographically representative as well as having relative strengths in teaching, research, or a balance of both teaching and research. This is a distinct contribution to previous research which has focused on research-intensive universities or studied the relationship in single institutions. While there is some evidence to support a relationship between teaching and research, academics within the same institution tend to define the nexus as either concordant or discordant. The second arm of the project is an international policy scan and interviews with higher education senior management in countries categorised into three groups: New World, Europe, and East and Southeast Asia. While in the sample countries a teaching-research relationship is viewed as important, although interpreted differently, it is also clear that the practical realisation of the nexus faces obstacles and challenges at national and institutional levels. Data reinforce the findings from the England and Wales study, highlighting challenges at different levels: institutional and individual. A key finding of the research was the idea of the 'holistic academic', for whom professional identity is about why one does things rather than what one does, or who one is. The main consideration on this key point is the complexity of academic life, that it is not just about contract type, but that how it is interpreted is influenced by institutional and systemic conditions-which can be managed in ways which promote a close relationship between teaching and research or which make bringing them together more arduous. We contend that we are at a point where the concept of a nexus may no longer carry the same meaning, and that efforts to develop a nexus may no longer prove to be a worthwhile imperative. Globally, the increasingly competitive higher education sector is moving towards a greater demarcation between teaching and research with potential risks for the quality of teaching, the quality of research and the quality of students' learning. However, we concede that calling into question the nexus itself rather than often unrealistic expectations of "research excellence" and "teaching excellence" within the workload and time constrains of academics would be too strong. This report shows that the concept of the nexus is becoming much more complicated, diverse, multifaceted, multidirectional, etc. and so simplistic notions of a nexus in being challenged (in theory and in practice), should not amount to a dismissal of a nexus altogether.
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China ‘goes out’ in a centre–periphery world: Incentivizing international publications in the humanities and social sciences
Article
Full-text available
The current expansion of English language publishing by scholars from China is supported by national and university policies, including monetary and career incentives to publish in English. These incentives, which extend to work in the humanities and social sciences (HSS, the focus of this paper) as well as the sciences and technologies, are situated in evolving strategies of internationalization. China has moved from an internationalization strategy simply based on learning from the West, to a ‘going out’ strategy designed to both lift domestic research capacity and advance China’s influence in the world. However, the ‘going out’ strategy nonetheless embodies ambiguities and dilemmas. The world of academic knowledge is not a level playing field but more closely approximates the centre–periphery dynamic described in world systems theory. This study explores the influence of publication incentives in the context of a centre–periphery world. It draws on analysis of 172 institutional incentive documents and interviews with 75 HSS academics, university senior administrators, and journal editors. The study identifies practices within China’s HSS that reproduce centre–periphery relationships. By focusing on international publications, Chinese universities run the risk of downplaying Chinese-language publications and adopting standards and norms from global centres to assess domestic knowledge production. These could result in creating knowledge from and about China primarily in Western terms without adding a distinctive Chinese strand to the global conversation. Nonetheless, the study also identifies alternative dynamics that challenge the existing power hierarchies in global HSS, highlighting indigenous knowledge and the need to pluralize global knowledge production.
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Transition from secondary school CLIL to EMI at university: Initial evidence from research in Italy
Book
Full-text available
  • Nov 2019
This report details the background, methodology and initial findings of the first study to investigate content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and English medium instruction (EMI) in the same country. Through vocabulary tests, interviews with students and recordings of classes/lectures, we identify the challenges faced and strategies applied by learners in L2-medium education in Italy in the secondary and tertiary educational phases. Specifically, we focus on 1) students in the last year of upper secondary school (aged 17–18) who are studying subjects through the medium of English (via CLIL), and 2) EMI students in their first year of undergraduate programmes. The study investigated: ■ students’ English vocabulary knowledge ■ the potential gap between learning a subject through a school CLIL context and subjects taught through EMI at university ■ the nature of classroom interaction in the two settings ■ students’ general approaches to learning and listening strategies. One hundred and forty-eight secondary students completed a vocabulary test, yielding estimates of knowledge of English words at different frequency levels and of academic vocabulary. Twelve CLIL classes were recorded and transcribed, and the lexical content of the classes categorised by frequency and type of vocabulary used. Twelve EMI lectures were recorded and transcribed and analysed against the CLIL classes to determine the differences in classroom vocabulary and interaction by educational phase. A questionnaire probing approaches to learning and learner strategy use was administered to 156 EMI students, and a further 15 EMI students participated in stimulated recall interviews, the stimuli for which were the video recordings of the EMI lectures they had attended. Findings indicate that, on the basis of their lexical knowledge alone, CLIL students will very likely experience difficulties in comprehending their classes – difficulties which are highly likely to impact on their content knowledge development. Indeed, from a vocabulary use perspective alone, the CLIL classes analysed were found to be more complex than the EMI classes. Teacher talk dominated the interaction in both educational phases, but particularly in the tertiary phase, with the questionnaire data revealing either that students did not feel confident to interrupt the teacher/ lecturer in class and ask questions or that this practice is implicitly discouraged. Where greater interaction was present, this coincided with a shift from a teacher-centred pedagogy to one where students were given preliminary tasks to undertake. Although in the interviews EMI students reported relatively few linguistic difficulties in understanding course content, this may be attributable to the self-selecting nature of the EMI courses, as well as to (for some) previous study abroad experience in an anglophone country. Note-taking and categorising words by type emerged as prevalent EMI strategies. We discuss our findings in light of the potential challenges of transitioning from secondary CLIL to tertiary EMI, raising important issues for teachers and policymakers alike.
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Performing under 'the Baton of Administrative Power'? Chinese Academics' Responses to Incentives for International Publications
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2019
Incentivizing international publications is a current topic of national debate in China and some other non-English speaking countries, echoing the discussion of managerialism in many other contexts. However, there is a shortage of research to conceptualize academics' responses with empirical evidence. The study draws on 65 in-depth interviews with humanities and social sciences academics at six Chinese universities. It proposes two typologies to categorize academics' affective responses (proactive, adaptive, resistant, hesitant, and detached) and behavioural responses (reconciling, rejecting, reforming, and rebelling). Building on the typologies, a framework was developed to explain the complicated relationship between incentives and publications. In addition, findings suggest that incentives imposed through administrative power could challenge academics' agency. The study thereby proposes a reconsideration and construction of current incentive schemes, to move beyond managerialism and towards the integration of intrinsic academic values.
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Incentivising International Publications: Institutional Policymaking in Chinese Higher Education
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2019
This study examines Chinese universities' incentive schemes for international publication in the humanities and social sciences (HSS). It analysed 172 incentive documents collected at 116 research-intensive universities in China, including monetary bonus schemes and career-related incentives. This analysis is complemented by interviews with six senior administrators at six Chinese universities and four journal editors to explore the policy-making process and impacts of incentivisation. The study found that most universities actively promoted international publications, with variations and similarities in their incentive schemes. In general, more benefits were granted for SSCI (Social Sciences Citation Index) and A&HCI (Arts and Humanities Citation Index) journal publications than domestic publications. We conclude such incentivisation showcased the influence of western standards and global benchmarking in the internationalisation of Chinese HSS, and that the incentive schemes may create a 'Matthew Effect' enabling SSCI and A&HCI journals to flourish, while deepening the divide between these and other journals.
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Exploring the role of self-efficacy beliefs and learner success in English Medium Instruction.
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2019
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 self-beliefs 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.
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What drives success in English medium taught courses? The interplay between language proficiency, academic skills, and motivation
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2019
This article explores the relationship between course performance, English language proficiency, motivation, and academic language skills in an English medium instruction (EMI) university context. It analyses test and questionnaire data from 146 students from an EMI business program at a Japanese university, and follow-up interviews with seven students. Proficiency test and subject exam scores revealed that knowledge of English language and academic English skill were statistically significant predictors of success in EMI, suggesting that lower proficiency students require more targeted language support in order to increase their likelihood of success. A motivation measure did not correlate with higher grades, contradicting research in language learning contexts. Interview data uncovered the multi-faceted nature of ‘success in EMI’ suggesting that students see success as a combination of final grades, lecture comprehension, English language proficiency gains, and long-term career advancement.
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Three dimensions of China’s “outward-oriented” higher education internationalization
Article
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This paper investigates China’s present approach of using “outward-oriented” higher education internationalization for status and image enhancement, and the challenges it faces in the response to this approach. It examines the three major dimensions of China’s present approach including its cultural diplomacy based on Sino-foreign higher education collaboration (i.e., the Confucius Institute program), international development aid in higher education, and international student recruitment at the higher education level. The theoretical framework is developed based on neo-Marxist theories of center-periphery model and world system. The concepts of “soft power” and public diplomacy, Knight’s argument of “knowledge diplomacy,” and Hayhoe’s argument about HE-based civilizational dialogue have been used. The paper reviews and analyzes China’s strategic plans related to its higher education internationalization, as well as relevant academic and non-academic literature about the three major dimensions of its present approach. Findings reveal that tensions still exist between China’s goals and the reality. It suggests that China’s approach should be given a neutral and serious assessment.
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A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2018
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.
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