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Article published In: Journal of English-Medium Instruction
Vol. 2:2 (2023) ► pp.134–158

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EMI and its sociolinguistic entanglement with local languages

Disciplinary differences in two engineering programs in Flemish higher education

ORCiD logo with link | Ghent University | University of the Western Cape
Published online: 12 June 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.22018.des
Abstract
Against the backdrop of inter-institutional competition and transnational ambitions, the prevalence of English-medium instruction (EMI) programs in higher education and their relative distribution across various national, regional, and institutional contexts is rapidly growing. When studying the increasingly globalized phenomenon of EMI, there is a tendency to adopt macro-pedagogical perspectives, with comparatively little attention being devoted to disciplinary differences which may warrant intra-institutional differentiation through situationally adaptable approaches to EMI policy and implementation strategies. The present study attempts to further enhance and nuance our understanding of the influence of disciplinary knowledge structures and literacies on lecturers’ and students’ linguistic needs in EMI courses. This article reports on linguistic ethnographic fieldwork at a Belgian higher education institution in which graduate students in international bio-science engineering and industrial design engineering programs were observed during the 2021–2022 academic year. Differences in disciplinary knowledge structures and literacies are explored through means of survey, interview, and classroom observation data. Results corroborate earlier findings on the interplay between disciplinary knowledge structures and attitudes towards EMI. Additionally, the data illustrate how the active inclusion of local languages alongside English can be considered disciplinarily relevant in certain programs.
Article outline
  • Introduction: The “whole-brainer” metaphor
  • EMI as a global phenomenon in localized teaching and learning realities
  • Research context
  • Data collection sites and participants
  • Description of the dataset
  • Conceptualizing the role of language: Disciplinary knowledge structures
    • Disciplinary knowledge structures
    • Didactic dynamics of the EMI classroom
    • Attitudes towards EMI in the classroom
    • Discussion: Disciplinary knowledge structures and language preferences
  • Instrumentalizing the role of language: Disciplinary literacies
    • Social-affective language use
    • Discussion: Disciplinary literacies and language preferences
  • Concluding notes: A call for attention to disciplinary contexts
  • Ethical clearance
  • Availability of data and materials
  • Declarations
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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