What students have to say sbout EMI: exploring university students’ perspectives on changing the learning/teaching language to English
This study documents the perceptions and self-expressed experiences of eleven Catalan university students as they shift from learning in their first language(s), Catalan and/or Spanish, to learning in English. The paper presents a qualitative analysis of students’ reflections in relation to: how dis...
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repository: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/380184 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/380184 https://dx.doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.4 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | English-medium instruction (EMI) EMI students classroom experience students’ perceptions students’ concerns. Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Aprenentatge de llengües |
| Summary: | This study documents the perceptions and self-expressed experiences of eleven Catalan university students as they shift from learning in their first language(s), Catalan and/or Spanish, to learning in English. The paper presents a qualitative analysis of students’ reflections in relation to: how disciplinary knowledge is transmitted and learned in English-medium instruction (EMI); the multilingual dynamics employed in the EMI class by both lecturers and students; the Englishlanguage teaching and learning events; and perceptions of students’ own and their classmates’ performance. It outlines the main foci identified through thematic data analysis (Airey, 2011; Saldaña, 2013) of students’ responses to a set of questions, considering their personal opinions regarding the implementation of EMI subjects as part of the internationalisation process of the university and offering the students’ general views and concerns about content subjects taught in English. The findings suggest that students have a generally positive perspective on EMI subjects and they assign a pedagogical value to the L1(s). Yet, the paper also reports several students’ concerns in relation to EMI implementation. Overall, these findings may lead to a better and deeper understanding of EMI in the context under study. |
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