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Article published In: Journal of English-Medium Instruction
Vol. 4:1 (2025) ► pp.1–15

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Opening up research on English-medium instruction

New interdisciplinary perspectives

ORCiD logo with link | The Open University
ORCiD logo with link | The Open University
ORCiD logo with link | The Open University
ORCiD logo with link | The Open University
ORCiD logo with link | The Open 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 The Open University.

Published online: 7 January 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.24025.hul
Abstract
The introductory paper to this special issue makes a call for interdisciplinarity in English as a medium of instruction (EMI) on the grounds that EMI can only be properly studied and its challenges addressed by understanding its entanglement with a wider political, economic and social restructuring of higher education. The paper first offers a taxonomy of interdisciplinarity, drawing a distinction between interdisciplinarity within and beyond applied linguistics, the former of which has been most common within EMI to date. Following a synopsis of each of the five contributions, we evaluate the extent to which the issue has achieved its objectives. While the special issue advocates strongly for interdisciplinarity, it also acknowledges the challenges of engaging in genuine interdisciplinary scholarship and points to the structures that work to uphold disciplinary boundaries. We conclude by offering some ways forward for interdisciplinarity in EMI, arguing particularly for interdisciplinarity that extends beyond applied linguistics.
Öz
Bu özel sayıya giriş makalemizde, öğretim dili olarak İngilizce (EMI) kullanılması ile ilgili çalışmalarda disiplinlerarasılığa yönelik bir çağrı yapmaktayız. Bu çalışmamızda ayrıca EMI’nin ancak yükseköğretimdeki daha geniş siyasi, ekonomik ve toplumsal olgularla bağlantısının anlaşılmasıyla doğru bir şekilde incelenebileceği ve karşılaşılan zorlukların üstesinden gelinebileceğini vurguluyoruz. Makalemiz, disiplinlerarasılığın bir sınıflandırmasını sunarak, uygulamalı dilbilim içinde ve ötesinde disiplinlerarasılık arasında bir ayrım yapmaktadır. Alan taramamız, şu ana kadar EMI’da en yaygın olan uygulamanın uygulamalı dilbilim içinde disiplinlerarasılık olduğunu göstermektedir. Özel sayımızdaki beş makalenin her birinin özetinin ardından, özel sayımızdaki hedeflerine ne ölçüde ulaştığını değerlendiriyoruz. Bu özel sayı, disiplinlerarasılığın önemini güçlü bir şekilde vurgularken, aynı zamanda gerçek bir disiplinlerarası çalışmanın zorluklarını kabul etmekte ve disiplin sınırlarını koruyan yapılara işaret etmektedir. Makale, öğretim dili olarak İngilizce alanında disiplinlerarasılığın geleceği için bazı öneriler sunarak, özellikle uygulamalı dilbilimin ötesine geçen disiplinlerarasılığın önemine vurgu yapmaktadır.
Article outline
  • A call for interdisciplinarity in EMI
  • Interdisciplinarity: What is it and why is it important?
  • Interdisciplinarity in EMI research
  • Interdisciplinarity in this special issue
  • An evaluation of the special issue against its goals
  • Conclusion and future research agenda
  • References
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Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Gallagher, Kay & Sarah Hopkyns
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
Zuaro, Beatrice, Dogan Yuksel, Marion Nao, Peter Wingrove, Derek Beach & Anna Kristina Hultgren
2025. Adopting social process tracing in applied linguistics: Lessons from an English-medium Instruction policy case study. Applied Linguistics DOI logo

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