Earticle

English-medium instruction (EMI) has become an international phenomenon, but studies of engineering professors conducting EMI remain rare. Furthermore, few studies have been conducted on EMI from the perspective of Korean engineering professors. Thus, the faculty at a Korean engineering school that is leading the EMI trend among Korean universities was selected for investigation. A questionnaire survey was conducted for 48 professors in various engineering fields. They were asked how they and their students could be assisted to achieve effective EMI. In addition, statistics on the EMI classes within the school and on the professors’ backgrounds related to their ability to conduct EMI were examined. The results demonstrate that even though the majority of the professors believed that many students lacked sufficient English skills to successfully participate in EMI classes, they were reluctant to encourage the expansion of English language teaching (ELT) for students. Moreover, the professors’ backgrounds suggested that they themselves were in need of intensive English language training to provide adequate EMI; nevertheless, many professors were not in favor of such training. The professors’ critical attitudes toward the school’s EMI policy may provide an explanation as to why many had reservations about expanding ELT for students and for themselves.

This paper examines students’ perceptions of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in a Korean university. Using questionnaire methods, we explore how students perceive EMI courses they are currently taking, from a knowledge perspective and a language skills perspective respectively. The participants were 364 students enrolled in 11 different EMI courses. The courses were all related to business, taught by seven different instructors (two Americans, two Chinese, and three Koreans). Based on the collected data, students’ level of satisfaction and ability to comprehend were measured, and compared according to their English proficiency along with instructor’s native language and student profiles. Aspects of student profiles investigated included students’ majors and years of study, prior EMI experiences, background knowledge, study-abroad experiences, etc. The results of the analyses showed that students’ overall level of satisfaction and ability to comprehend were significantly different according to the instructor’s native language (native English speaker or non-native English speaker), background knowledge, and study-abroad experiences, but not related to any of the other factors. From these findings, pedagogical implications are briefly discussed and ways of maximizing the effects of EMI courses are suggested.

The contributions of genre-based approach to writing have been proved in many studies in different contexts. However, empirical evidence of effects of genre-based instruction on Vietnamese EFL learners is rare. This article reports the results of an experimental study investigating the effects of genre-based approach on Vietnamese learners' ability in writing argumentative essays. Twenty EFL students at a college in a Mekong Delta province of Vietnam participated in the study. Participants were divided into two groups, labeled as group 1 and group 2; each group was taught how to write argumentative essays by using genre-based approach at two different points of time. Participants’ ability in writing argumentative essays was measured by three writing tests: pretest, progress test, and post-test. Participants’ perception towards the use of genre-based approach in learning argumentative essays was collected via semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that participants from both groups significantly improved their writing performance after the study. Results from the interviews showed that participants held a positive attitude towards the contributions of genre-based approach to their ability in writing argumentative essays.

This study is a case study of language learning in the ESL classroom context, as demonstrated in Lave and Wenger’s communities of practice (1991). The study examines the learning experiences of an international student learning a second language while being exposed to various new social practices and attempting to understand the role of participation in an English learning classroom community through interaction. A Japanese female student taking the General English for Academic Purpose course in Australia in a group of nine students was this study’s primary subject. This study documents the participant’s first self-reflection on her language learning to identify how she became accustomed to various social practices by interacting with people inside and outside the community. Discourses from the classroom observation were analyzed to explore how novice and experienced learners participate in peer discussions in a small community. Because learning occurs when students participate in tasks and use language for interpretation, one implication of this study is that the model of language learning education shifts from knowledge transmission to active participation to better account for how learning occurs in a classroom.

This study was designed both to develop vocabulary memorizing tools and to examine their effects on Korean L2 learners’ vocabulary size. It was hypothesized that learners would memorize new words best with a computerized tool functioning in accordance with their individual preferences. In this study, 54 high school students participated. Self-regulated learners and other-regulated learners were provided with two types of vocabulary memorizing tools to expand their vocabulary size: one that allowed them to find target words (self-guided tool) and one that required finding words in a preplanned order (other-guided tool), respectively. Contrary to our hypothesis, which predicted better results for the matching tools, learners with the opposite tools (self-regulated learners with otherguided tool and other-regulated learners with self-guided tool) performed significantly better. Furthermore, they performed significantly better in memorization of all the content words than the matching group except for adverbs. However, the self-guided tool was found very effective for both styles of learners. Based on the results, since the level of engagement played an important role in memorizing words, we suggest teachers consider their students’ learning preferences and the level of engagement when devising classroom activities.