Feeling In-Between Experienced by Tertiary-Level English Preparatory Students: An Investigation of Two Turkish EMI Universities

Abstract

English preparatory programs at English medium instruction (EMI) universities aim to help students gain the necessary competence in English so that they can fulfil their academic and communicative goals at the international level. Preparatory students may experience different psychological situations including feeling in-between. Being neither a high school nor a bachelor student, they may experience difficulties likely to stem from the uncertainty regarding their status and environment and this could have adverse effects on the quality of their language learning including distraction and demotivation. This study is the first of its kind investigating English preparatory students’ feeling in-between by exploring their descriptions, reasons, and suggested solutions. The data were collected from 238 students at two Turkish EMI universities through a questionnaire and interviews and thematically analysed. Findings show feeling in-between was defined as “not feeling like a real university student”. The participants likened their environment to high school and complained about lack of activities and contents not related to their majors. The suggestions included content-based instruction and social, psychological, and academic support. The study implies preparatory students be fully included in educational life and have a say in relevant policies. The research also has implications for tertiary-level EFL instruction worldwide.