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Article published In: Journal of English-Medium Instruction
Vol. 4:1 (2025) ► pp.44–73

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A collaborative autoethnography on English as a medium of instruction

Perspectives across disciplines

ORCiD logo with link | University of St Andrews
ORCiD logo with link | Emirates College for Advanced Education
ORCiD logo with link | Zayed University
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of St Andrews.

Published online: 6 January 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.24003.hop
Abstract
English-medium instruction (EMI), and more broadly English-medium education (EME), is growing in leaps and bounds in multilingual university settings globally. Despite the phenomenon of EMI affecting all stakeholders in any given university, research concerning EMI pedagogical and sociolinguistic issues most often occupies the attention of applied linguists alone. This study aims to open up research on EMI to include interdisciplinary perspectives from faculty members in the disciplines of applied linguistics, education and media studies. The study takes the form of a collaborative autoethnography whereby the authors, as participants, reflect on their experiences and perceptions of EMI in their respective disciplines in the context of higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Findings revealed both similarities and differences between approaches and experiences of EMI across disciplines. Drawing on the findings, open sharing and discussion of EMI struggles and triumphs is recommended together with critical awareness of decolonisation in educationscapes and teacher agency in EMI classrooms.
الملخص
شهد التدريس باللغة الإنجليزية، وعلى نطاق أوسع حيث تُعتبر الإنجليزية لغة أجنبية، نموًا متسارعًا في البيئات الأكاديمية متعددة اللغات حول العالم. وعلى الرغم من أن ظاهرة التدريس باللغة الإنجليزية تؤثر على جميع الأطراف المعنية في أي جامعة، إلا أن الأبحاث المتعلقة بالقضايا التربوية والاجتماعية اللغوية غالبًا ما تقتصر على اهتمام علماء علم اللغة التطبيقي. تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى “توسيع” نطاق البحث حول التدريس باللغة الإنجليزية لتشمل وجهات نظر أعضاء هيئة التدريس من تخصصات متعددة في مجالات علم اللغة التطبيقي، والتعليم، والإعلام. اتخذت الدراسة منهج الإثنوغرافيا الذاتية التعاونية، حيث يعكس المؤلفون، بصفتهم مشاركين، تجاربهم ووجهات نظرهم حول التدريس باللغة الإنجليزية في تخصصاتهم المختلفة في التعليم العالي في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. كشفت النتائج عن وجود تشابهات واختلافات بين الأساليب والتجارب المتعلقة بالتدريس باللغة الإنجليزية عبر التخصصات. استنادًا إلى النتائج، يُوصى بتعزيز المشاركة ومناقشة التحديات والنجاحات المتعلقة بالتدريس باللغة الإنجليزية، مع الوعي بأهمية التنوع الثقافي في مجالات التعليم. من المهم أن يتمتع المعلمون بخيارات متنوعة في محتوى قراءاتهم، مما يتيح لهم اتخاذ قرارات تعزز تنوع المحتوى في بيئات تعليمية تستخدم اللغة الإنجليزية، حيث لا تُعتبر الإنجليزية لغة التواصل الأساسية، ويدعم ذلك نهجًا أكثر شمولاً في التعليم.
Article outline
  • Introduction: Opening up EMI
  • Literature review: EMI research across disciplines
  • The study
    • Study’s aim and research questions
    • The methodology of collaborative autoethnography
    • Procedure
    • Participants in our collaborative autoethnography
    • Data analysis
  • Findings
    • GQ1: EMI in relation to disciplines and linguistic backgrounds
      • Teachers’ linguistic background, empathy, and compassion
      • Western-centric educationscapes
      • The needs of students after graduation
    • GQ2: Benefits and drawbacks of EMI in different disciplines
      • English as a useful language across disciplines
      • An imbalance between English and Arabic
      • The need for scaffolding
      • Increased teacher agency via hands-on strategies
      • Critical awareness
      • Alternative assessments
  • Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
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2025. From ‘lip service’ to ‘more language support needed’: Perspectives from academic leaders of English in global English-medium higher education contexts. System 133 ► pp. 103729 ff. DOI logo

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