Asia's universities struggle to teach in English, study finds
A multi-country research programme reveals that English-medium instruction in Asian higher education produces markedly different outcomes depending on whether countries treat English as a second or foreign language. The findings matter to policymakers and education leaders deciding whether to adopt English as a teaching medium, and to universities weighing the costs of language barriers against international competitiveness.
Originaltitel: Researching English Medium Instruction (EMI) in Asian Higher Education: from Part III - Teaching Academic Subjects through English Medium Instruction
<p>This chapter reports on a multi-institutional research programme, with researchers from Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sweden, and the Philippines, investigating English Medium Instruction (EMI) in Asian higher education. In this chapter, we present the findings of empirical research conducted in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as a discussion of the historical contexts and complexities influencing EMI in such contexts. The case studies presented in this chapter provide for the comparison of research results across and between diverse Asian settings, with reference to such issues as the linguistic backgrounds of students, and their experiences of EMI, including language attitudes, communicative practices, language mixing, and perceived difficulties. One interesting pattern in our findings relates to the obvious differences between Outer Circle (‘English as a second language’) and Expanding Circle (‘English as a foreign language’) contexts in the Asian region.</p>