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Article published In: English-medium instruction: Different stakeholders and conflicting interests
Edited by Robert Wilkinson and René Gabriëls
[Journal of English-Medium Instruction 3:1] 2024
► pp. 91–114

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English-medium instruction in multilingual university settings

Stakeholders’ conflicting interests in a Chinese and a Dutch context

ORCiD logo with link | Dublin City University
ORCiD logo with link | Maastricht University
Published online: 14 December 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.22019.sha
Abstract
To identify stakeholders’ conflicting interests regarding English-medium instruction (EMI) in multilingual university settings, this cross-case study utilised part of the data from a larger project examining the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders (i.e., students, teachers, and management) in business schools at a Chinese university and a Dutch university. Semi-structured interview data from 20 second- and third-year students and 13 staff members comprising management and teachers, both universities in total, were analysed using the ROAD-MAPPING framework. The results revealed conflicting interests in both contexts but in different forms and with different causes. Students’ opinions at the Chinese university conflicted most with teachers and management in terms of perceptions of counterparts’ English proficiency, while teachers at the Dutch university revealed concerns about the position of the national language, Dutch, which was less emphasised by the administration. We discuss these conflicting interests through the lens of Bourdieu’s capital theory, which posits a hierarchy of permanent conflicts in the field of higher education. Drawing carefully on each case, we present generalised suggestions to inform EMI policy and practice that could lessen conflicting interests among stakeholders.
摘要
为了调查多语大学环境中英语媒介教学(EMI)利益相关者之间的潜在利益冲突，本研究使用了之前一项大型研究的已有信息数据，分析了中国一所大学的商学院和荷兰一所大学的商学院的利益相关者（即学生、教师和管理人员）对英语媒介教学(EMI)的看法和亲身经验。本研究采用“路线图” (ROAD-MAPPING)作为框架分析了两所商学院共20名二、三年级学生和13名包括管理人员和教师在内的半结构化访谈文字数据。结果显示，两个背景下利益相关者之间都存在显著的利益冲突，但形式和根本原因不同。案例中的中国大学的学生对英语水平的看法与教师和管理层的看法最为冲突。荷兰大学的教师则关注官方语言荷兰语的地位，而这一点管理层则较少强调。我们通过皮埃尔·布尔迪厄的社会资本理论来讨论这些利益冲突。该理论提出了高等教育领域中的永久性利益冲突的层次结构。在仔细研究每个案例的基础上，我们提出了一般性建议，用以指导英语媒介教学(EMI）政策和实践，以减少和缓和利益相关者之间的利益冲突。
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review and theoretical framework
    • EMI in Chinese and Dutch HE
    • Conflicting interests among EMI stakeholders in Chinese and Dutch contexts
    • Bourdieu’s theory: Capital in the field of HE
  • Methodology
    • Analytical framework: ROAD-MAPPING
    • Sampling and participants
    • Research instrument and data collection
    • Data analysis
  • Findings and discussion
    • Conflicting interests among stakeholders
    • Capital in the field of HE
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
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