Quality factors of an English as a Medium of Instruction program associated with students’ satisfaction
Keywords:
English-Medium Instruction (EMI), English-Taught degree Programs (ETPs), Student satisfaction, Quality university program, BilingualismAbstract
This study examines the association between key quality factors of an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) program delivered at a Spanish university with the students’ satisfaction. The significant growth of demand and offer of bilingual and plurilingual studies in Higher Education in the last decade in many non-Anglo-Saxon countries, recommends conducting more evaluation research studies aimed at measuring quality and impact of EMI programs on students’ performance and satisfaction. To respond to that need, this ex-post facto research study included a sample of 131 self-selected students. The dependent variable student satisfaction was measured with a questionnaire (α=0.82 and a ω= 0.85) delivered through a computer-assisted web interviewing technique. Nonparametric regression analysis results confirm partially two out of the four hypotheses tested with an average of the mean estimate of 3.7 (on a 5 points scale) and the (only) average marginal significant effect of teachers teaching practices estimated to be 0.7, p < 0.01. The model (M6) with all predictions and controls explains 40.69% of the variation of the dependent variable. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations are drawn to increase future students’ satisfaction about this type of Higher Education.
Downloads
References
Aguilar, M., & Rodríguez, R. (2012). Lecturer and student perceptions on CLIL at a Spanish university. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 15, 183–197.
Airey, J., Lauridsen, K. M., Räsänen, A., Salo, L., & Schwach, V. (2017). The expansion of English-medium instruction in the Nordic countries: Can top-down university language policies encourage bottom-up disciplinary literacy goals?. Higher Education, 73, 561–576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9950-2
Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of Higher Education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3-4), 290–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307303542
Authros. (2018).
Arkin, E., & Osam, N. (2015). English-medium Higher Education: A case study in a Turkish university context’. In S. Dimova, A. K. Hultgren, C. Jensen (ed.), English-medium instruction in European Higher Education. De Gruyter Mouton (pp. 177-199).
Arzu, E. (2020). English Medium Instruction (EMI) from the perspectives of students at a technical university in Turkey. Journal of Further and Higher Education 44(2), 231-243. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0309877X.2018.1527025
Başıbek, N., Dolmacı, M., Cengiz, B. C., Bür, B., Dilek, Y., & Kara, B. (2014). Lecturers’ perceptions of English medium instruction at engineering departments of Higher Education: a study on partial English medium instruction at some state universities in Turkey. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 1819–1825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.477
Bazo, P., Centellas, A., Dafouz, E., Fernández, A., González, D., & Pavón, V. (2017). Documento Marco de Política Lingüística para la Internacionalización del Sistema Universitario Español [Towards a language policy for the internationalisation of Spanish universities: A framework of reference]. Madrid: Conferencia de Rectores de Universidades Españolas (CRUE).
Belskaya T.V. (2021). In Search of Methodology for English Medium Instruction. Кul'turno-istoricheskaya psikhologiya. Cultural-Historical Psychology, 17(3), 42—50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/chp.2021170307
Byun, K., Chu, H., Kim, M., Park, I., Kim, S., & Jung, J. (2011). English-medium teaching in Korean higher education: policy debates and reality. Higher Education, 62, 431–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9397-4
Çağatay, S. (2019). The pros and cons of English-medium instruction in Higher Education in an EFL context. Journal of Foreign Language Education and Technology, 4(2), 206–241. https://www.jflet.com/articles/the-pros-and-cons-of-englishmedium-instruction-inhigher-education-in-an-efl-context.pdf
Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Chang, Y. Y. (2010). English-medium instruction for subject courses in tertiary education: Reactions from Taiwanese undergraduate students. Taiwan International ESP Journal, 2(1), 53–82. https://doi.org/10.6706/TIESPJ.2010.2.1.3
Chen, H., Han, J., & Wright, D. (2020). An investigation of lecturers’ teaching through the English medium of instruction—a case of Higher Education in China. Sustainability, 12(10), 4046. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104046
Corrales, K. A., Paba, L. A., & Santiago, N. (2016). Is EMI enough? Perceptions from university professors and students. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 9(2), 318–344. https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2016.9.2.4
Dafouz, E. (2018). English-medium instruction and teacher education programmes in Higher Education: Ideological forces and imagined identities at work. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(5), 540–552. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1487926
Dafouz, E. (2021). Crossing disciplinary boundaries: English-medium education (EME) meets English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Iberica, 4, 13-38. ISSN: 139-7241.
Dearden, J. (2014). English as a medium of instruction – A growing global phenomenon. British Council and Oxford University Department of Education, Oxford, UK
Doiz, A., Lasagabaster, D., & Sierra, J. M. (2013). English-medium instruction at universities: Global challenges. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Doiz, A., & Lasagabaster, D. (2018). Teachers’ and Students’ Second Language Motivational Self System in English-Medium Instruction: A Qualitative Approach. TESOL Quarterly, 52(3), 657-679. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.452.
Doiz, A, Lasagabaster, D., & Pavón, V. (2019). The integration of language and content in English-medium instruction courses. Lecturers’ beliefs and practices. Ibérica: Revista de la Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos, 38, 151-176.
Elliott, K. M., & Healy, M. A. (2001). Key factors influencing student satisfaction related to recruitment and retention. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 10(4), 1–11.
Feixas, M., Codó, E., & Espinet, M. (2009). Enseñar en inglés en la universidad: reflexiones del alumnado y el profesorado en torno a las experiencias AICLE. In R. Roig (coord.): Investigar desde un contexto educativo innovador (pp. 137-154). Alicante: Editorial Marfil.
Fernández. A. (2017). Assessing students’ perceptions regarding English medium instruction in Higher Education. Didáctica. Lengua y Literatura, 29, 43–63. https://doi.org/10.5209/DIDA.57129
Fortanet, I. (2011). Critical components of integrating content and language in Spanish Higher Education. Across the Disciplines, 8(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.37514/ATD-J.2011.8.3.17
Galloway, N. (2019). Questionnaire about your views on English medium instruction (EMI) in University Settings. SurveyMonkey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019surveySTUDENTs
Galloway, N., & Rose, H. (2015). Introducing World Englishes. Springer.
Galloway, N., Numajiri, T., & Rees, N. (2020). The ‘internationalisation’, or ‘Englishisation’, of higher education in East Asia. Higher Education, 80, 395–414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00486-1
García-Aracil, A. (2009). European graduates’ level of satisfaction with higher education. Higher Education, 57(1), 1–21.
González-Álvarez, D. (2020). Languages and internationalization. Strategies and policies. In D. González-Álvarez and E. Rama-Martínez, Languages and the Internationalization of Higher Education, (pp. 10-28). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Hellekjær, G. O. (2010). Lecture comprehension in English-medium higher education. Hermes 45, 11–34.
Hu, G., & McKay, S. L. (2012). English language education in East Asia: Some recent developments. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 33, 345–362.
Hsieh, S. H., & Kang, S. C. (2007). Effectiveness of English-medium instruction of an engineering course and strategies used by the teacher. Center for Teaching and Learning Development, National Taiwan University.
Hu, G., & Lei, J. (2014). ‘English-medium instruction in Chinese higher education: a case study. Higher Education, 67, 551–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9661-5
Huang, D. F. (2015). Exploring and assessing effectiveness of English medium instruction courses: The students’ perspectives. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 173, 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.033
Kim, T. (2009). Transnational academic mobility, internationalization and interculturality in Higher Education. Intercultural Education, 20(5), 395–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980903371241
Kym, I., & Kym, M. H. (2014). Students’ perceptions of EMI in Higher Education in Korea. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 11(2), 35–61. http://journal.asiatefl.org/main/main.php?inx_journals=40&inx_contents=49&main=1&sub=2&submode=3&PageMode=JournalView&s_title=Students_Perceptions_of_EMI_in_Higher_Education_in_Korea
Lasagabaster, D. (2021). EMI in Spain Striving to maintain a multilingual balance. In R. Wilkinson, and Gabriëls, R., The Englishization of Higher Education in Europe (pp. 77-96). Amsterdam University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv21ptzkn.7
Luo, Y., Xie, M., & Lian, Z. (2019). Emotional Engagement and Student Satisfaction: A Study of Chinese College Students Based on a Nationally Representative Sample. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 28, 283–292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-019-00437-5
Macaro, E, Curle, S, Pun, J, An, J., & Dearden, J. (2018). A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education. Language Teaching, 51(1), 36–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444817000350
Macaro, E., Jiménez-Muñoz, A. J., & Lasagabaster, D. (2019). The importance of certification of English medium instruction teachers in higher education in Spain. Porta Linguarum, 32, 103-118.
Marsh, D., Pavon, V., & Frigols, M. J. (2013). The Higher Education languages landscape: Ensuring quality in English language degree programmes. Valencian International University.
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (MECD) (2014). Estrategia para la Internacionalización de las Universidades Españolas. www.mecd.gob.es/educacion-mecd/dms/mecd/educacion-mecd/areas-educacion/universidades/politica-internacional/estrategia-internacionalizacion/EstrategiaInternacionalizaci-n-Final.pdf
Muñiz, J., & Fonseca-Pedrero, E. (2019). Diez pasos para la construcción de un test [Ten steps to build a test], Psicothema, 31(1), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2018.291
Nieto, E., & Fernández, A. (2021). Main Challenges of EMI at the UCLM: Teachers’ Perceptions on Language Proficiency, Training and Incentives. Alicante Journal of English Studies / Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses, 0(34), 39-61. doi:https://doi.org/10.14198/raei.2021.34.02
O’Dowd, R. (2018). ‘The training and accreditation of teachers for English medium instruction: An overview of practice in European universities. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(5), 553–563. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1491945
Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development. (2017). Education at a glance 2017: Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development Indicators. Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development. https://doi.org/10.1787/eag-2017-en
Ploettner, J. (2019). A critical look at teacher development for English-Medium Instruction. Language Learning in Higher Education, 9, 263-287. DOI:10.1515/cercles-2019-0016
Pun, J., & Jin, X. (2021). Student challenges and learning strategies at Hong Kong EMI universities. PLoS ONE 16(5), e0251564. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251564
Rakhshandehroo, M., & Ivanova, P. (2020). International student satisfaction at English-medium graduate programs in Japan. Higher Education, 79, 39–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00395-3
Ramos-García, A. M. (2013). Higher Education bilingual programmes in Spain. Porta Linguarum, 19, 101–112. https://doi.org/10.30827/digibug.29632
Authors. (2019).
Sahan, K. (2021). Implementing English-medium instruction: Comparing policy to practice at a Turkish university. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 44(2), 129-153. https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.20094.sah
Şahan, Ö., & Sahan, K. (2021). The driving forces behind monolingual and bilingual English-medium instruction: A comparison of students’ perspectives in Turkey. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 15(2), 81-97.
Schmidt-Unterberger, B. (2018). The English-medium paradigm: a conceptualisation of English-medium teaching in higher education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(5), 527-539. DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2018.1491949
Short, D. J. (2006). Content teaching and learning and language. In K. Brown (Ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics (pp. 101-105). Elsevier https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-044854-2/00685-4
Salinda Weerasinghe, IM., Lalitha, R., & Fernando, S (2017). Students’ Satisfaction in Higher Education Literature Review. American Journal of Educational Research, 5(5), 533-539. doi: 10.12691/education-5-5-9.
Soper, D.S. (2022). A-priori Sample Size Calculator for Multiple Regression [Software]. Available from https://www.danielsoper.com/statcalc
Toledo, I., Rubio, F. D., & Hermosín, M. (2012). Creencias, rendimiento académico y actitudes de alumnos universitarios principiantes en un programa plurilingüe. Porta Linguarum, 18, 213–228. https://doi.org/10.30827/Digibug.15836
Wächter, B., & Maiworm, F.. (Eds.) (2014). English taught programmes in European Higher Education. The state of play in 2014. Lemmens Medien GmbH.
Zenkova, T., & Khamitova, G. (2018). English medium-instruction as a way to internationalization of Higher Education in Kazakhstan: An opinion survey in the Innovative University of Eurasia. e-TEALS, 8(1), 126–158. https://doi.org/10.2478/eteals-2018-0006
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- The authors retain copyright and guarantee to the journal the right to be the first to publish the work as well as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the authorship of the work and the initial publication in this journal.
- Authors may separately enter into additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (e.g., placing it in an institutional repository or publishing it in a book), with acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their own website) before and during the submission process, as this can lead to productive exchanges as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
