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Article published In: Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education
Vol. 5:2 (2017) ► pp.238–264

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A survey of English-medium instruction in Italian higher education

An updated perspective from 2012 to 2015

 | Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore |
 | Università degli Studi di Bergamo |
Published online: 6 November 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.5.2.04bro
English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has rapidly become a widespread phenomenon in Europe, especially in many Italian institutions. The growth of EMI is currently exponential as well as non-regimented; it is therefore very important to obtain updated, local data regarding this phenomenon, which could be of use in developing future national policies. This study describes the data gathered in a 2015 survey of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) which included all Italian universities. The survey concentrated on three areas, the lecturers and students involved and the overall organisation of the courses in both private and public institutions in the North, Centre and South of Italy. The paper updates information on the same topic gathered from a previous questionnaire (Costa & Coleman, 2012), reflecting on what has changed during the intervening three years.
L’inglese come mezzo di istruzione (EMI, English as a Medium of Instruction) si è diffuso massivamente e rapidamente in tutta Europa, soprattutto in numerose istituzioni italiane. Tuttavia, se da una parte si assiste alla crescita esponenziale della sua diffusione, dall’altra si registra la completa assenza di regolamentazione del suo utilizzo come mezzo di insegnamento. Risulta quindi importante raccogliere dati aggiornati delle diverse aree geografiche che potrebbero essere utili nell’elaborazione di future politiche nazionali. Questo studio descrive i dati raccolti da un sondaggio sui programmi e i corsi insegnati in lingua inglese (English-medium instruction (EMI) courses), inviato a tutte le università italiane nel 2015. L'indagine si è concentrata su tre aree: i docenti, gli studenti coinvolti e l'organizzazione complessiva dei corsi; distinguendo tra istituzioni pubbliche e private e tra Nord, Centro e Sud Italia. Il presente articolo aggiorna le informazioni raccolte sullo stesso argomento attraverso un sondaggio precedente (Costa e Coleman, 2012), il primo condotto nel contesto italiano, e offre una riflessione su ciò che è cambiato a livello nazionale nel corso dei successivi tre anni.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The Italian university system and the context of EMI
  • 3.Research questions
  • 4.Methodology
    • 4.1Research framework
    • 4.2Sampling
    • 4.3Survey design and format
  • 5.Results of the 2015 Survey
    • 5.1Organisation
      • 5.1.1EMI programmes
      • 5.1.2Subjects, levels, date of introduction and trends
      • 5.1.3Funding for EMI courses and collaboration with other universities
      • 5.1.4Reasons for establishing EMI courses
      • 5.1.5Greatest difficulties in implementing EMI
    • 5.2Teachers and teaching styles
      • 5.2.1Selection of teachers
      • 5.2.2Teacher profile and their levels of English
      • 5.2.3Lecturing styles and teaching materials
      • 5.2.4Teacher training
    • 5.3Students
      • 5.3.1Language domains and linguistic admission criteria
      • 5.3.2Language of assessment
  • 6.Comparing 2015 and 2012 survey results
  • 7.Conclusions and discussion
  • Notes
  • References
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