In this section of Campus, EuropeNow features a selection of scholarly articles and books on topics pertinent to the teaching of Europe or teaching in Europe that were published within the last 5 years. This dynamic bibliography, with bimonthly installments, highlights research and critical analyses of debates taking place in higher education in and about Europe.
1. A Typology of English-Medium Instruction
By Jack C. Richards and Jack Pun
In The RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research
Abstract: The use of English to teach content subjects has been a growing trend in many parts of the world. It is labelled in a variety of ways, such as content-based learning, content and language integrated learning, immersion education, theme-based language teaching, and bilingual education, but it is referred to in this paper as English-medium instruction (EMI). The expansion of EMI worldwide has resulted in many different forms of EMI, as well as some confusion as to how they differ. In addition, a number of different forms of EMI may occur in the same school or institution, area, or country. The different forms of EMI can be usefully classified in the form of a typology. A typology provides a basis for objective and quantifiable accounts of the characteristics of EMI in different situations. The present typology describes 51 features across 10 curriculum categories, which were identified when comparing different forms and realizations of EMI. It highlights the many different dimensions of EMI that are involved in describing, planning, or evaluating EMI.
2. Effects of Content and Language Integrated Learning in Europe: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Experimental Studies
By José Goris, Eddie Denessen, and Ludo Verhoeven
In the European Educational Research Journal
Abstract: Content and language integrated learning (CLIL), an educational approach in which subject matter and a foreign language – predominantly English – are taught and learnt side by side, has developed into a very popular educational innovation in most European countries. A host of research studies have shown its benefits, and discuss favourable effects especially with respect to L2 gains. However, critical voices have underscored the fact that CLIL attracts or selects mainly high-achieving learners. Hence, the question arises whether it is justified to attribute improved L2 performance mainly to the CLIL intervention, or to favourable learner characteristics. Several reviews of literature were published in the past, but due to a lack of longitudinal findings no conclusive evidence about the added value of CLIL in the process of L2 learning could be produced. The present review aims to fill this void and has undertaken a search of two decades of longitudinal studies into the effects of CLIL on various linguistic skills in the field of English as a foreign language. The findings indicate that robust studies were undertaken in only a limited number of European countries, and that only a few of them were large scale. Yet, the conclusions provide clear indications regarding the contexts in which CLIL leads to significantly better L2 results.
3. English-Medium Education in International Higher Education Settings
By Emma Dafouz and Ute Smit
In ROAD-MAPPING English Medium Education in the Internationalised University
Abstract: The overall aim of this chapter is to illustrate how English-Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings (EMEMUS) is a dynamic, complex and highly situated phenomenon which comes in different shapes and forms. To explore such diversity, the first part of the chapter offers a selection of case studies from higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Expanding Circle ranging from Europe to the Middle East, Japan and Latin America. These illustrative examples reveal different characteristics in terms of, for instance, language policies, academic disciplines or the societal role of English in relation to national or local languages, depicting the individual complexity of such settings. Against this backdrop, the second part of the chapter zooms out of individual cases to offer a reflection of some of the most commonly described reasons for implementing English-medium education across HEIs in a top-down fashion, from the global to the classroom level. Based on these considerations, the chapter argues for the need to provide a theoretically grounded framework that addresses, in a comprehensive and integrative manner, the inherent complexity and diversity of EMEMUS.
4. English Medium Instruction in Higher Education: The Role of English as Lingua Franca
By Jennifer Jenkins
In English Medium Instruction in Higher Education: The Role of English as Lingua Franca
Abstract: It is a well-established fact that English has become the primary lingua franca of choice around the world among speakers of whom the majority are not native English speakers. And as research into the phenomenon of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been demonstrating for over 20 years, the kinds of English used in lingua franca communication often differ from those used among native English speakers and that are (still) taught to “foreign” learners in EFL classrooms. The domain of higher education (HE) is a notable example of the spread and use of ELF: in their drive to internationalize, many universities have switched to teaching in English medium so as to recruit more students and staff from outside their national borders. The internationalization of universities is thus going hand-in-hand with “Englishization,” with university campuses paradoxically becoming increasingly linguaculturally diverse on the one hand and increasingly focused on English on the other. However, not only is English being used in myriad ways on campus, but other languages are also present, regardless of whether the setting is an Anglophone or non-Anglophone country. English medium instruction (EMI) is thus a complex phenomenon, but its (multi)lingua franca nature is as yet poorly understood and largely ignored outside ELF-oriented research into EMI. In order to address the gap, this chapter explores the research findings and their implications for making current HE language policies, both overt and covert, more relevant to the diverse uses of English and other languages on university campuses around the world.
5. Exploring the Role of Language in English Medium Instruction
By Ernesto Macaro
In the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
Abstract: English Medium Instruction (EMI) in universities continues to grow as an educational phenomenon and increasingly is attracting the attention of researchers, particularly researchers who are applied linguists. Starting with a definition of EMI and with the challenges that any working definition poses in the many contexts in which EMI is said to be operating, this paper explores the extent to which some of the theories prevalent in the field of second language acquisition can be transferred to the kinds of content classrooms which are labelled EMI. Examples of language used in content classrooms are provided and analysed with two specific foci: what and how vocabulary is used by teachers; the use of the learners’ first language by the teacher. Some recommendations for taking a more nuanced perspective towards EMI research by applied linguists are suggested.
Photo: Shutterstock | Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Published on February 15, 2024.
