Abstract
English Medium Instruction (EMI), the educational practice where subject contents are taught via English to students whose native language is other than English, has been gaining momentum as with the continuous internationalization processes of universities. Learners’ motivation towards EMI is a central research topic with its potential impact on academic success and other dimensions of learning. Past studies have mostly examined the linguistic aspect of EMI motivation, making such line of inquiry predominantly focused on the perception of language. However, as content learning is the major target in EMI, a wholistic perspective is required for the study of EMI motivation. Such research efforts, to our knowledge, are limited. Further, studies on motivation mainly concentrated on undergraduate students, leaving another important student group, i.e., postgraduate students, neglected, and several potential influencing variables are yet to be explored. To fill these gaps, the present study explored university students’ (n = 642) EMI motivation in China, where EMI is expanding rapidly across all academic levels of tertiary education. We compared students’ motivational intensity in terms of gender and academic levels (bachelor, master and PhD), and identified possible predictors. Findings reveal that significant differences existed between genders and among students at different academic levels, and that attitude and linguistic self-confidence predicted motivational levels. These findings could hopefully enhance scholarly understandings of EMI and provide implications for EMI teaching.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Data are available on reasonable request from the authors.
References
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(4), 431–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9397-4
Chen, Y. E., & Kraklow, D. (2015). Taiwanese College student’ motivation and engagement for English learning in the context of internationalization at home: A comparison of students in EMI and non-EMI programs. Journal of Studies in International Education, 19(1), 46–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153145336
Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1994). Motivation, self-confidence, and group cohesion in the foreign language classroom. Language Learning, 44(3), 417–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01113.x
Coleman, J. A. (2006). English-medium teaching in European Higher Education. Language Teaching, 39(1), 1–14.
Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press.
Curle, S. (2018). Develo** and validating a Japanese English Medium of Instruction Attitude Scale (JEMIAS). The Journal of Asia TEFL, 15(4), 1195–1221. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.4.24.1195
Dearden, J. (2015). English as a medium of instruction—A growing global phenomenon. British Council.
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
Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2011). Teaching and researching motivation (2nd ed.). Longman.
Du, X., & Jackson, J. (2018). From EFL to EMI: The evolving English learning motivation of Mainland Chinese students in a Hong Kong University. System, 76, 158–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.05.011
Gao, X. (2008). Shifting motivational discourses among mainland Chinese students in an English medium tertiary institution in Hong Kong: A longitudinal inquiry. Studies in Higher Education, 33(5), 599–614. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802373107
Hennebry, M., & Gao, X. (2021). Interactions between medium of instruction and language learning motivation. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 27(7), 976–989. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1530190
Hu, G. (2021). English as a medium of instruction in Chinese higher education: Looking back and looking forward. Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2021-0182
Hu, G., & Duan, Y. (2019). Questioning and responding in the classroom: A cross-disciplinary study of the effects of instructional mediums in academic subjects at a Chinese university. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 22(3), 303–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1493084
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
Iwaniec, J., & Wang, W. (2022). Motivations to enroll in EMI programs in China: An exploratory study. Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2021-0180
Jablonkai, R. R., & Hou, J. (2021). English medium of instruction in Chinese higher education: A systematic map** review of empirical research. Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2021-0179
Kırkgöz, Y. (2005). Motivation and student perception of studying in an English-medium university. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 1(1), 101–123.
Kojima, N., & Yashima, T. (2017). Motivation in English medium instruction classrooms from the perspective of Self-determination theory and the ideal self. JACET Journal, 61, 23–39. https://doi.org/10.32234/jacetjournal.61.0_23
Kong, M., & Wei, R. (2019). EFL learners’ attitudes toward English-medium instruction in China: The influence of sociobiographical variables. Linguistics and Education, 52, 44–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2019.03.005
Lasagabaster, D. (2016). The relationship between motivation, gender, L1 and possible selves in English-medium instruction. International Journal of Multilingualism, 13(3), 315–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2015.1105806
Lee, I., Yu, S., & Liu, Y. (2018). Hong Kong secondary students’ motivation in EFL writing: A survey study. TESOL Quarterly, 52(1), 176–187.
Lu, Z., Wu, B., Liu, M., & Zhang, W. (2021). English Medium Instruction in China's higher education under internationalization - A case study of Tsinghua University. [In Chinese]. Tsinghua Journal of Education, 42(6): 118-128.
Lu, Z., & Dearden, J. (2021). Professional development in English medium instruction in higher education: A case study. In Z. Lu, M. Liu, & W. Zhang (Eds.), Teaching and Researching Chinese EFL/ESL Learners in Higher Education (pp.59-80). Routledge.
Macaro, E. (2018). English medium instruction: Content and language in policy and practice. Oxford University Press.
Macaro, E., & Akincioglu, M. (2018). Turkish university students’ perceptions about English Medium Instruction: Exploring year group, gender and university type as variables. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 39(3), 256–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2017.1367398
McKinley, J., Rose, H., & Curdt-Christiansen, X. L. (2022). EMI in Chinese higher education: The muddy water of ‘Englishisation.’ Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2022-0015
Pyun, D. O., Kim, J. S., Cho, H. Y., & Lee, J. H. (2014). Impact of affective variables on Korean as a foreign language learners’ oral achievement. System, 47, 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.09.017
Rose, H., McKinley, J., Xu, X., & Zhou, S. (2020). Investigating policy and implementation of English-medium instruction in higher education institutions in China. British Council.
Sahan, K., Kamasak, R., & Rose, H. (2023). The interplay of motivated behavior, self-concept, self-efficacy, and language use on ease of academic study in English medium education. System, 114, 103016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103016
Schunk, D. H., Meece, J. R., & Pintrich, P. R. (2014). Motivation in education: Theory, research and application (4th ed.). Pearson.
Somers, T., & Llinares, A. (2021). Students’ motivation for content and language integrated learning and the role of program intensity. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 24(6), 839–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1517722
Soruç, A., Pawlak, M., Yuksel, D., & Horzum, B. (2022). Investigating the impact of linguistic and non-linguistic factors on EMI academic success. System, 107, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102794
Turhan, B., & Kirkgöz, Y. (2018). Motivation of engineering students and lecturers toward English medium instruction at tertiary level in Turkey. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 14(1), 261–277.
Wächter, B., & Maiworm, F. (2014). English-taught programs in European Higher education: The state of play in 2014. Lemmens Medien.
Wong, L., Chai, C., Chen, W., & Chin, C. (2013). Measuring Singaporean students’ motivation and strategies of bilingual learning. The Asia-Pacific Educational ResearchEr, 22(3), 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-012-0032-2
Zhou, S., Thompson, G., & Zhou, S. (2023). Transitioning from secondary school to an English-medium transnational university in China: A longitudinal study of student self-efficacy and motivational beliefs. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2023.2213376
Funding
This work was supported by Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program [Grant No. 2021THZWYY12].
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Ethical Approval
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Wu, B., Lu, Z. & Yuan, R. Motivation for English Medium Instruction Among Chinese University Students: The Effect of Gender, Academic Level, Attitude and Linguistic Self-Confidence. Asia-Pacific Edu Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00796-0
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00796-0