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English Medium Instruction as a Tool of Internationalization in Higher Education

English Medium Instruction as a Tool of Internationalization in Higher Education. Ernesto Macaro University of Oxford: Department of Education. Overview. What should be the ‘approach’ with regard to EMI in HE? (Implementation <->Research)

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English Medium Instruction as a Tool of Internationalization in Higher Education

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  1. English Medium Instruction as a Tool of Internationalization in Higher Education Ernesto Macaro University of Oxford: Department of Education

  2. Overview • What should be the ‘approach’ with regard to EMI in HE? (Implementation <->Research) • What are the methodological challenges presented by EMI research ? • Some initial findings from a survey of 54 countries • A research agenda for EMI Oxford

  3. Aims of EMI policy in Universities • To internationalise universities? • To facilitate learning of subjects by home students? • A way of ensuring that home students can compete in a world market? • To build/improve English language capacity of home country? Are these aims shared by all participants?

  4. Aims of EMI policy in universities • A new multilingual and multicultural tool for developing intercultural communication? • Authentic language learning? • A way of forcing change in HE pedagogy? Are these aims shared by all participants?

  5. EMI Oxford: End-user research-driven approach to EMI English Medium Instruction Evolution University students University faculty Policy makers School students Secondary school teachers Employers Parents RESEARCH EVIDENCE

  6. Phase 1 of project Aims: • To map the current situation • To identify future trends • Phase 2: online questionnaire investigating lecturer/teacher attitudes to EMI in their subject • Phase 3: in depth analysis of smaller number of countries: Turkey; Italy; Austria

  7. Phase 1 Method • Open ended (essentially qualitative) questionnaire • Sent to British Council staff in 60 countries worldwide • Primary analysis of data • Follow up request to plug gaps • Secondary analysis of data: attempt to quantify • Caveat: Reliability of data

  8. The Field: Public vs. Public Education

  9. The Field: Public vs. Public Education

  10. In ‘your country’, is EMI officially ‘allowed’ in public sector?

  11. Do official policies or statements on EMI exist?

  12. Policy Changes in Past 10 Years?

  13. General trend in each country

  14. Examples of “Mixed Trends”

  15. Official backing for ‘trends’ • Croatia: “In the context of the Bologna Process and increased international mobility as one of its priorities, the Ministry [has] Action Plan for the removal of obstacles and strengthening of the international mobility in education… including the increase in the number of study programmes offered in foreign languages”

  16. Official backing for ‘trends’ • Uzbekistan: “The presidential decree of 2012 encourages English to be taught, spoken, and used for business communication at all levels and at any institution of Uzbekistan be it journalism, economics or staff of a ministry.”

  17. Equivocal official backing • Hungary: “Government recognises the efficiency of EMI programmes, ….however, it claims that EMI affects only a small number of learners (equal opportunities), and it is costly to operate(exams, qualified teachers including native speaker teachers, and materials and textbooks). New government’s quality assurance measures might even lessen the number of currently run programmes.”

  18. Public Opinion on EMI

  19. Reasons for public opinion to be in favour

  20. Reasons why public opinion is divided

  21. Initial conclusions from Phase 1 • Long way from a ‘global’ definition (and consensus!) of EMI and its purposes or objectives • Need: a research-driven process approach which consults stake-holders • Introduction of EMI in tertiary is opportunistic & instrumental: effect on secondary

  22. Initial conclusions from Phase 1 • Trend is towards much more EMI • There is official backing but with some ‘interesting’ exceptions • Public opinion not wholehearted support: ‘controversial’ rather than ‘against’ • Concerns relate to: lack of qualified teachers; no stated expectations of English language proficiency; lack of structural or pedagogical guidelines; little EMI content in ITE and TPD courses

  23. EMI OxfordResearch Agenda • What is the current and predicted uptake of EMI globally? • Who or what is driving EMI implementation? • What are the different forms of EMI currently being developed? • What kind of English? Who owns the language? • What are the implications for teacher education, teacher educators and materials developers? • What are the most sustainable mechanisms of teacher education and development beyond the immediate period of engagement on a course?

  24. EMI OxfordResearch Agenda • What levels of English competence enable EMI teachers to provide quality instruction? • How would we measure the success of an EMI programme? Is the learning of academic subjects improved by EMI? Will it lead to deeper understanding? If so by which groups of students? • To what extent do language assessment systems need to change (for teachers & students)? Validity of bilingual examinations?

  25. EMI OxfordResearch Agenda • How does classroom interaction change as the medium of instruction changes? • What are the psycholinguistic representations in the mental lexicon of abstract concepts encountered in academic subjects through EMI? • Do abstract concepts result in restructuring of a developing bilingual lexicon?

  26. EMI OxfordResearch Agenda • What strategies are used by students in EMI classrooms in oral and written comprehension tasks? • What are the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic effects on students’ home language resulting from EMI used in various phases of education?

  27. Thank you for listening! EMI Oxford Centre for Research and Development on English as Medium of Instruction Department of Education University of Oxford For further information and particularly if you can help us publicise the online questionnaire contact: julie.dearden@education.ox.ac.uk

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