Accompanying globalization and higher education (HE) internationalization, an ever increasing number of students choose to receive higher education in another country. However, despite the rising attractiveness of Asian... [ view full abstract ]
Accompanying globalization and higher education (HE) internationalization, an ever increasing number of students choose to receive higher education in another country. However, despite the rising attractiveness of Asian countries/regions as study destinations, most studies have been conducted in Anglophone or European countries; despite the burgeoning literature on HE internationalization, language is usually sidelines as a trivial issue (Jenkins, 2014). The rapid growth of English as the medium of instruction (EMI) programs in the Asian context, particularly to attract international students, has rendered it imperative to investigate language use in Asian HE context.
This paper reports on findings of a qualitative study that explored the language needs of international students who choose to study in a high-rank Chinese university. The study aimed to unpack the assumption of English as the default language of instruction for the heterogeneous body of international students in the multilingual/multicultural university setting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to probe into thirteen participants’ attitudes towards English and other languages, their experiences in EMI (English as the medium of instruction) classrooms, and their languages needs in the local setting.
Qualitative data analysis revealed that: 1) Code switching was adopted in EMI classrooms to enhance intercultural communication, attesting to the multilingual nature of EMI classrooms. 2) The international students highly valued Chinese-language learning not only to encounter the Chinese culture but to seek for potential career opportunities in China. 3) Varying academic English proficiencies of the heterogeneous body of international students made EMI less effective than expected. These findings questioned the exclusive use of English in international universities, and problematized the equivalence assumed between international students and the use of English. The findings also imply that without sufficient academic English support, the students from Anglophone countries would suffer a compromise of content learning and the students from non-Anglophone countries would be sidelined and even marginalized in the EMI classroom. Overall, language should to be treated with greater sensitivity in the higher education setting, so that the EMI policy can better serve the benefits and needs of international students regardless of their countries of origin and native languages.
